Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death
by SleepingDarkness
Summary: A group of misfits band together to save the very society that rejects them from lapsing into a world war. Only in this version, there's a witch involved. As if there weren't enough supernatural people in the League already...
1. Chapter 1: Danny Hollow

_Authors Note: _I said I was going to write something soon. Ok, this isn't exactly soon… but the point is I'm writing. I'm currently in a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen phase at the moment- the film- so I decided to write something for that. It's a retelling of the films events if one of my OC's had been brought along. I should also tell you that I may accidentally mess up some of the scenes from the film, and I will be adding in scenes that weren't in it in the first place.  
Don't worry if you don't understand who the hell Catherine, Monique, Jasmine or Lucretia are- they're four of my five OC's and I just _can't _write something without including all of them anymore. Besides, I like to think it adds something to a fanfic if there's more than one OC in it.

Read This Diary, And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 1: Danny Hollow- Witch, Prostitute and Part-Time Vigilante

July 1899

So…

Odd day today.

After receiving a telegram from a man named Sanderson Reed last month, asking that I join what he calls the 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' I left Venice and came to England to meet his mysterious employer.  
Catherine 'liberated' the telegram from my desk- while I was still in my damn _room _I might add- and said, plain and simple:

"This is a bad idea."

"You worry too much." I replied, brushing off her warning.

"It is though."

"I'm saving the world from war. How is that a bad idea?"

"I don't know," she frowned "It feels suspicious. I can understand how your talents would be useful but I wouldn't expect the British Government to mingle with someone of your… occupation."  
I glared at her.

"You can't stop me from going."

She said nothing for a few moments. She then peered up at me, with an almost menacing look in her eye and said "Remember that I told you so."

"Right, whatever. Just don't tell the others, 'kay?"

I know Catherine is always right, but seriously, how could _preventing a world war_ be in any way bad? Sometimes I think she just invents little puzzles and mysteries in everything so she won't get bored.  
So, I came to the British Museum as I was instructed at eight… ish. Ok, so I was _really _late, what of it?  
I was greeted by Mr. Reed at the entrance of the building. He gave me directions as to where I was supposed to go, then he took my coat from me and just walked off. Git.  
I walked down several thousand stairs before I finally reached a pair of giant steel doors that looked like they could withstand being hit by a charging bull. I felt a twist of anxiety in my guts, but told myself to get a grip. I took a deep breath, grabbed the door knobs with my sweating hands and pushed them open.

"Ah, finally," A voice said "Gentlemen, Miss Danny Hollow."

He may as well have said antidiestablishmentarianism. It sounded like he wanted to put a question mark on the end of that sentence, like he wanted to ask "Is that your actual name, or are you just pulling our respective legs?"  
I walked into the vast room, which was dominated by a very long table. The walls were lined with books and several paintings, and in each corner of the room were glass cabinets containing all manner of odd things. Near the far end of the table stood the man who had spoken. I assumed this was Reed's employer the enigmatic M. I confess myself a little disappointed; he looked so, so boring. I suppose he might have looked less boring of the others hadn't been there.  
I recognized three of the four others. One was the aged hunter, Allan Quatermain, who was looking at me like I was slime stuck to the sole of one his boots. Yeah, some people are really against the whole prostitution business that I'm in.  
Another was the renowned pirate, Captain Nemo and he looked nowhere near as menacing as one might think. He nodded to me when I entered the room, which was the most courteous greeting I had received all day.  
The third was Wilhelmina Harker. Lucretia had once forced me to read a book called _Vampires of Note _from her precious clan library (the Strange clan have their own vampire library, made for vampires, by vampires but they don't even have a bloody government… huh, bad choice of the word 'bloody'… but now I'm just going off on a tangent) and it had mentioned a Transylvanian called Dracula. Harker, his wife and a professor called Van Helsing had fought him. Obviously Mrs. Harker was a vampire.

Personally, I don't find vampires all that daunting. I've met all different sorts of odd things over the years, and vampires were probably the most normal.  
But this woman… if Quatermain's expression hadn't made me feel like a worthless pile of dirt before, her presence assured I did.

She had the most gorgeous countenance I had ever laid eyes on. Her cheekbones were smooth and gracefully arched; her lips were soft, supple rose petals and her eyes were the colour of moonlight. She was as demure and gentle as a woman could get, her body entirely hidden by a long, velvet green coat. She even had a _veil_ covering her face, as if to protect its purity from the filth of the world.  
I instantly regretted throwing on one of the dresses I wear when I go 'fishing in the streets for a couple of bites' as Monique puts it. The neckline is so low, that breathing is a very serious threat to what little integrity I have. I tried my best not to seem intimidated by her.

The fourth person was the strangest out of all of them. He was completely, and I mean _completely_ invisible. The only reason I could see him in the first place was because he had plastered his face with greasepaint and was wearing a leather duster.

"You're very late." M said, his voice steeped in disapproval. I grinned in my traditional bold manner.

"I'm not late, the rest of you are simply early."

M pursed his lips, before continuing

"Despite her… questionable reputation, Danny has many assets that could prove useful to the league."

I internally winced. Couldn't he just say "She's a witch"? It would save a lot of time and questions. And you don't use the word 'assets' around a woman who is flaunting a cleavage you could ski down.  
The invisible man seemed to have had the same thoughts. When I looked at him, I could tell from the subtle change of the angle of his head that he was staring at my chest.

"Isn't Danny a boy's name?" Quatermain asked contemptuously. I'd already decided I didn't like this one.

"Your powers of perception are incredible." I said dryly. I swear I saw Mrs. Harker's lip twitch upwards when I said those words.

"The fate of the world is at stake," M said dramatically, trying to avoid a bickering match between me and Quatermain "There are still two more members to recruit. The clock hands turn gentlemen."

"Kicking us out already?" The invisible man spoke up "A moment ago it was sherry and giggles." With that he turned up the collar of his coat and marched out of the room, but not before he winked at me.

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I followed him.


	2. Chapter 2: Fcking Brilliant

_Authors Note:_ Beware of swear words!  
I actually wrote this as part of chapter 1, but then it reached seven pages in Word, so I decided to split it in two. This chapter includes my first added scene. I'll explain Danny and her background more as the story progresses; I just wanted to start paving the road with the added conversation in Gray's library.

Read This Diary, And Die A Painful Death 

Chapter 2: Fucking Brilliant

Still July (though you wouldn't know it from the weather) 1899  
Still the same crazy day as it was in my last entry

Once we had all taken our coats from Sanderson Reed, who had been waiting for us at the door, we stepped outside into the pouring rain. I pulled my coat tightly around me to protect myself from the icy water (even though it was bloody July) and was very surprised when Mrs. Harker stood at my shoulder so the umbrella was covering both of our heads. I smiled, somewhat weakly to show my thanks.  
We began to go down the steps of the British Museum towards a vast white… thing on wheels. People were stopping in the street and staring it, and I really couldn't blame them.

"What in Gods name is that?" Quatermain demanded.

"I call it an… automobile." Nemo replied.

"Yeah. But what is it?" The invisible man (damn I needed to find out his name) asked. I was wondering the same thing. Telling us he'd christened it an automobile (at least I think that's how you spell it) didn't tell us much about what it actually was.

"The future, gentlemen," he smiled conspiratorially at us "the future."

The future, huh? Catherine would be proud. She's often going on about the advancement of science and such.

"This is my first mate." Nemo gestured to the man standing beside the automobile.

"Call me Ishmael. Please." He opened the door for us to get into the- you know what? I'm getting sick of writing automobile over and over again, so I'm going to name it 'Wheels'. I am _so _imaginative aren't I?

Quatermain climbed into Wheels, followed by the invisible man. I was a little put out that they didn't even pretend to be civil enough to let Mrs. Harker and me, the ladies in first.  
I stepped out from under the canopy of Mrs. Harker's umbrella and slid into Wheels, which despite all its grandeur seemed quite cramped on the inside. It became even more so when Mrs. Harker folded her umbrella and sat down next to me.  
She shut the door behind her and Wheels gave a metallic roar, that didn't sound like it was doing the automobile any good, then started moving down the road.  
I hoped the ride would be short, because I swear I couldn't breathe in that tiny space. I'm not claustrophobic or anything, I just hate being soaking wet and crammed into small, moving boxes with a bunch of strangers.

"So," the invisible man said pleasantly to me "how did M get you?"

I thought carefully about my reply for, unsure of what to say. Should I give him the truth which is "I'm what I like to call a 'part-time vigilante' and I just came along for the ride?" Or make up some elaborate story?

I ended up saying:  
"Some say trouble finds me irresistible," I smiled "but in reality it's the other way round."

This answer seemed to satisfy him, so he turned to Quatermain and asked him the same question.

"None of your business." He snapped.

"You're a little testy Mr. Q" Mrs. Harker leaned past the invisible man and me to address him.

"Mrs. Harker, I doubt if you measure danger… the way I do."

"And I imagine you with quite the library Mr. Quatermain. All those books you must have read merely by looking at their covers." I suppressed a smile at this comment.

"I've had women along on past exploits. And found them to be at best… a distraction."

"Which goes to show what poor attention spans men have." I cut in. Quatermain gave me a dark look.

"My dear girls, I've buried two wives, and many lovers- and I'm in no mood for more of _either_."

The invisible man decided to add his own contribution to our lovely little chat "You can send 'em my way if you li-"

"Skinner, shut up." Quatermain snarled. Ah, so his name was Skinner.

To be honest, I felt kind of sorry for Skinner. I bet the only reason he was always making such lewd remarks is because he can't have been with a woman since he became invisible, and God only knows how long that's been.  
We finally came to a stop in the docks, outside a very sinister looking building on a poorly lit street. What sort of recruit could possibly live here? I wondered.  
We all got out of Wheels and stood surveying the building in a rather gormless way. It was the most uninviting place I've ever seen.

"Shall I wait captain?" I heard Ishmael ask Nemo.

"No, bring my lady to me." His ship, I assume.

"This is a charming spot," Skinner commented as we sidled up to the door "Does Jack the Ripper live here?"

Quatermain grasped the rusty knocker and rapped three times on the door. Almost instantly, a face appeared behind a small grate, looking at us with distrustful eyes. Whoever was behind the door clearly thought us harmless enough, so they opened the door.  
I almost laughed at the sight of him. Never before have I seen a man who was so blaringly camp. He looked more feminine than Mrs. Harker, for Christ's sake, with his frilly shirt and silk grey suit. The long hair and goatee were just the icing on the cake.

"Good evening." He said questioningly.

"Mr Dorian Gray?" Quatermain asked. Girly name too. Plus Gray wearing a grey suit? Subtle.

"I am indeed." He replied with a cold little smile.

"We came by way of M."

"Ahhh." He opened the door a little wider. "M, for mystery. Well I've told him and I'm telling you; I'm not interested."

"Dorian." Mrs. Harker suddenly spoke. She came forward and smiled almost seductively at him.

"Mina?" So, it seemed that our new friend was an old… acquaintance, if you will, of Mrs. Harker.  
Still with that flirty smile of hers, she walked straight through the door. Exchanging glances, the rest of us followed.

"Charming décor." I heard Skinner mutter as we were herded up a staircase that was flanked by a grimy wall covered in dozen of portraits.

"You're missing a picture Mr. Gray." Quatermain remarked upon the gap among the myriad of pictures. Whoa, I just said myriad- I'm beginning to turn into Lucretia.

"And you don't miss a thing do you Mr. Quatermain?" Gray retorted sourly.

"Oh, sometimes." He said breezily.

We were led into a fancy library that bore a passing resemblance to the room in which we'd all first met, but I suppose all libraries look at least a little alike.

"Scotch anyone?" Skinner asked, heading straight for the table holding the alcohol.

"Please, help yourself." Gray replied boredly.

"Don't let it ruin your make-up." Mrs. Harker said cockily- ok; now I'm sick of constantly calling her Mrs. Harker. Gray called her Mina, so I'll just use that.  
Skinner scowled at her as she walked by. As soon as he had poured himself a measure, I grabbed the bottle from him and filled my own glass, so it was almost half-full. Skinner arched an eyebrow at me. Bet I can hold my drink better than he can, I thought.  
I raised my glass to him then leant on the bookshelf behind the table.

"I'm impressed Mr. Gray," Nemo said "You take Skinner's uniqueness in your stride."

"Yes, well I've seen too much in my life to _shock _easily."

I almost snorted. _I've_ seen too much in my life to shock easily, but if this guy came into contact with even the weakest monster I've ever fought, he would be slaughtered the moment he tried to mince away.

"Although I must say I was surprised to see _you _again." He turned to Mina with a seductive smile.

"When our last parting was such sweet sorrow…" she responded coyly. I rolled my eyes. Ugh, watching these two banter made me feel sick.

"Ah, so you're nothing more than an enticement." I saw her smile slip when he said this. If I'd have been her, I'd have ripped his head off. No one says "You're nothing more than an enticement" to a vampire and gets away with it.

"Nevertheless, your presence intrigues me." His voice took on a more intense tone.

Please, someone stop this drivel, I thought swigging back some of my scotch.

"They say you're indestructible Quatermain." Finally he managed to get his mind out of his pants for a moment and focus on the matter at hand.

"Well, a witch doctor did bless me once. I had saved his village. He said that… Africa, would never allow me to die." He sounded mournful when he spoke of Africa.

"But you're not in Africa now." Was that supposed to be a threat?

"No."

"I confess a curiosity as to what the files say about Mr. Gray," Nemo spoke up, changing the subject.

"We all have traits useful in this endeavour: a hunter, a scientist…" he paused as he looked at me. Poor, clueless little dummies. They still had absolutely _no _idea about what I could do.

"…even Skinner has stealth."

Skinner punctuated this by taking a sip of his scotch and raising his glass "Cheers." You could see the liquid going down his throat. I hated to imagine what it must be like watching him eat solid foods.

"What have you?"

"I have… experience." Oh please. I have experience as well as my natural abilities, so don't even start.

"Gray and I have met before," Quatermain said, probably about to say something that would prove his _experience _was worth having in the League. "at Eton College."

"A lecture no doubt- you the nations hero, and Gray the eager listening boy." She was amused by the thought of him as a child. Can't imagine why- maybe she was imagining him and his effeminate hair stuck inside a blazer and a pair of shorts.

"Quite the reverse- it was Gray visiting Eton… and I was the boy." Mina looked shocked, to say the least.

Oh. Another immortal. How exciting. As if a vampire wasn't more than enough.

"An immortal? How curious." Nemo asked, his voice filled with wonder.

"Yes," Gray said in a self-satisfied tone "But I suppose Miss Hollow would already know of curious things… and immortality must seem _awfully _dull to her."  
My eyes snapped up. Twat! He _knew_?

"What do you mean by that?" Skinner asked, lowering his glass from his lips and casting me a curious glance.

"Don't you know what she is? She hasn't told you?" His eyes glistened evilly.

"We're all aware that she is a prostitute." Quatermain said brusquely.

"Oh but she's more than that… forget black cats and broomsticks, real witches are entirely different." He grinned.

"A witch?" Mina exclaimed "She's a witch?"

"You're ruthless!" I snarled at him. Telling them ruined the surprise I would have seen on their faces when I started using magic to kick people's arses. Yes- I was getting so worked up over it because he was spoiling a cheap little joke. What can I say; I'm a woman of simple pleasures. "You're camp, but ruthless!"

I heard Skinner chuckle. Gray's smile slipped slightly but he continued raining on my parade.

"I suppose you, like most witches and wizards, chose the predictable path and decided it would be easiest to make your speciality elemental control?"

I didn't answer. Damn him and his all-knowing, smug, goatee face. Elemental magic isn't _easy_- I'd like to see him throw fireballs.

"What did you mean by that remark about immortals seeming dull to her?" Nemo enquired, not unkindly. He knew I was uncomfortable, but he was genuinely curious.

"One of the many perks of practicing magic is that it can heal most physical scars… even the scars of time."

"She's an immortal too?" Quatermain cried. I think all the revelations and uprooted secrets that were flying around were addling his poor old brain.

"I turn fifty-nine in October." I said stiffly. There was a long moment of silence, when suddenly I felt ripples in the air above us on the second storey of the library. We weren't alone.  
Quatermain sensed them too, for he withdrew one of his guns from his belt.  
Mina frowned and stood up.

"What is it?"

Dozens of men appeared on the balconies above our heads, all of their guns aimed down at us.

"Oh," I sighed in exasperation "That's just fucking brilliant."


	3. Chapter 3: Whoop di doo, More Members

_Authors Note: _I can't write action scenes! I'm sorry, but I just can't! I've done my best, but it's really terrible anyway.  
I also explain who the hell Jasmine, Lucretia, Catherine and Monique are in this chapter, in full(ish).

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 3: Whoop-Di-Doo, More Members

Still July 1899  
_Still _the same date as my last entry

"Gray?" Quatermain asked.

"Well they're not mine." Gray replied in that calm, uppity tone I already hated.

"They're mine." A voice from above us said. The owner of the voice appeared at the top of the stairs. He had long, tangled hair and his chest was covered by silver plates of armour. He also wore a long, fur-lined coat. But the most interesting feature of his appearance was the silver mask on his face. So- this was the Fantom.

"First meetings usually warrant introductions." Quatermain told him. I hoped he was stalling for time and wasn't too dense to work out that this was the Fantom.

"Of course. I am the Fantom. And you are the League of so-called Extraordinary Gentlemen." Hey, we're more extraordinary than you are mate.  
He began to make his way down the stairs towards us.

"Introductions made. Oh, and I'm _scarred _Mr. Quatermain. Not _blind_. Drop the gun."  
I saw Quatermain's jaw tighten at the prospect of being unarmed, but did as he was told.

"Your mission is to stop me… that of course I can not permit. So I give to you all a special one-time invitation: join me."

"You think we'll help to start a war that will consume the planet?" Nemo asked in disgust.

"While you profit from your arms race?" Quatermain added.

"I cannot deny that fortunes are made in war…" At this point I saw Quatermain glance up to one of the gunmen. I followed his gaze, and saw the man wink.

"… Imagine the riches a world war would wield."

"He's not wrong." Skinner mused.

"Speak for yourself." Gray said resentfully. Huh. I'd have thought he would take up this madman's offer.

The Fantom had reached the bottom of the stairs and was now standing in front of Quatermain. There was a long, tense moment where they stared each other down, and then the Fantom kicked his discarded gun into the corner.  
Quatermain glanced up at the gunman who had winked at him, signalling him to do something helpful. He took the hint, swung his gun upwards and began firing at the other gunmen. God, he was a crap shot.

Everyone burst into action. Quatermain grabbed the ladder and hurled it so it circled the room, hitting the gunmen that stood on the upper storey. Skinner threw what remained of his scotch in his face and started desperately trying to get his coat off. Gray pulled a sword from his cane while Nemo grabbed Mina and myself and tried to drag us behind a bookcase. I wrenched myself from his grasp.

"But Miss Hollow-" Nemo made another attempt to pull me to safety. I grinned at him.

"I can take care of _myself,_ thank you."

More of the Fantom's men began to emerge from behind the bookcase. Although I would have liked to start throwing some fireballs, it would have been a bloody stupid thing to do in a library. So instead I settled for what is probably the most effective method when taking out bad guys- flinging them across the room with a bit of air displacement.  
I raised my hands and the two approaching me flew up in the air; I clapped my hands together and they smashed into each other and collapsed in an ungraceful heap.  
Another two leapt down from the storey above me and caught me by surprise, but I, unlike most witches and wizards don't just rely on my magic to get me out of trouble. I punched one of them in the face and kicked his legs out from beneath him. I grabbed the other by the shoulders, kneed him in the stomach, stamped on his foot and kicked him in the face.

Instead of waiting for them to come to me again, I went with a more direct approach.

I ran full pelt at a man who was sneaking up on Nemo and leapt onto his back. While he staggered under my weight, I hooked my legs over his shoulders and under his armpits, and then flipped backwards so he was sent flying across the room.  
Nemo stared at me with something akin to awe. I grinned and winked.

I noticed another five with their guns on me in my peripheral vision. At this point I was too lazy to do anything fancy. The fight was almost over anyway, so I just made a sweeping motion with my arm and they all soared backwards and hit the walls with pleasing crunches. I hope I broke something of theirs.  
I glanced up when I heard the sound of one of their automatic rifles being fired. Gray was being shot like, fifty five thousand times in the chest. He just sliced away the man's armour and stabbed him in the stomach, but it was still satisfying seeing him get shot.

"W-what are you?" the man stuttered with his dying breath, tearing Gray's shirt as he fell and exposing the healing bullet wounds. Typical, he's managed to get his shirt off already.

"I'm complicated." He said snarkily.

And with that, the fight was over.

"I thought I was special," Skinner said to Gray as he retrieved his hat "you're invulnerable to harm."

"Well, I don't like to boast." He came strolling down the staircase. He had a new shirt on. How the hell did he manage to put a new one on _that _fast? I suppose if you're constantly getting stabbed or shot you have to adapt to putting on fresh clothes quickly.

"Though you are clearly not the only one with hidden talents," Nemo looked at me meaningfully "We knew of your supernatural abilities, but I have never seen a woman so at ease with combat."

"Of course you haven't," I replied coolly "Women are such weak, frail creatures, are they not? How could you possibly expect them to do anything without assistance from a man?"

"Isn't your occupation rather dependent on men, Miss Hollow?" Quatermain snapped came striding back in from wherever the hell he'd disappeared off to during the fight.

"In the same way that being a hunter is dependent on creatures to kill." I snapped back.

"What happened to Mina?" Gray suddenly asked.

"Oh, she's probably hip deep in some sort of trouble." Quatermain said dismissively.

"Don't be such an alarmist, Mr. Q," Mina told him, emerging from behind the bookcase and picking her hat up from the floor. "And my hips are none of you business."  
The 'body' she was standing in front of leapt to his feet and put a knife to her throat.  
We all jumped, and reached for the closest weapon. The gunmen who had helped us earlier came out from behind yet another bookcase pointing at him.

"Shoot," he dared us, using Mina's body as a shield "go on."  
We all relaxed slightly when we realized there was nothing we could actually do to help.

"I guessed as much," he said to Mina "that they'd do anything to protect you."

"Now that's your biggest mistake," Mina whispered gently, putting her hand on the one holding the knife at her throat "thinking that I need them to protect me." Her eyes began to turn red.

I sensed some vampirical (not a word, but whatever) wrath on its way.  
She spun around and clamped her mouth on his throat. He crumpled instantly and she went down with him, sucking him dry.  
It was hilarious seeing the others so shocked. I'd seen Lucretia and Catherine, our two residential vampires back in Venice feed on several occasions- they'd actually taken a few sips of my blood to tide themselves over once or twice. But the others looked so horrified I couldn't stop myself from giggling. They glanced at me like I was some sort of madwoman.  
Mina finally stood, her face covered in spatters of blood.

"Extraordinary." Was all Nemo could say. Mina pulled a mirror from her pocket and began to wipe away the blood.

"Boy," the newcomer said in an American accent "they told me European women had funny ways…you missed a spot." He pointed out a fleck of blood Mina had missed.

She shyly rubbed it off and muttered "Excuse me."

She turned to the American "And you are?" He beamed at her.

"Special Agent Sawyer of the American Secret Service." Ack… too many capital letters.

"Then America is aware of the situation?" Quatermain enquired.

"Well, war starts in Europe, how long will it take until it crosses the Atlantic?"  
Well there hasn't _actually _been a war yet…

"I followed you," he continued "knocked out a straggler and took his place."

"Very noble," Gray said bitterly. Probably jealous because the pretty vampire had looked at someone else. "But this is a private party, and _you're _not invited."

"Actually, Dorian has declined," Mina pointed out, and then smiled at Sawyer "so we are one shy of a full deck."

"On the contrary, the battle was just the spur I needed… that and the thrill of a friendship renewed" Gray gave Sawyer a dirty look. I can't _believe _he was going to join the League just because there was a chance that Mina and Sawyer would become an item. "So you're not needed."

Sawyer looked like a kicked puppy and probably would have run off to cry, but Quatermain came and took his rifle from him, examining it with great interest.

"Winchester." He murmured to himself.

"That's right. It's modified… American style." He could sense the chance to be bought into the League.

"American style shooting too." Quatermain commented. Sawyer chuckled, accepting the teasing insult with good grace. If someone had insulted my ability to shoot a gun, I'd have head butted them. I'm sure whatever little sneak is reading this now can tell I like violence.

"You like it," Sawyer said, taking his gun back "I brought two."

Quatermain eyed the gun longingly.

"You're in."

I rolled my eyes. Whoop-di-doo, another member added just because they have shiny guns.

"So what's the next port of call?" Gray asked as he led us from his library and out into the docks.

"Paris," Nemo responded "Just one last member to recruit."

"Capture is more the word," Quatermain said "and it will be quite the hunt."

"You make him sound like some sort of animal." Mina observed. We reached the bottom of the stairs and Quatermain turned to her and gave her an odd look.

"Speaking thus Mrs. Harker, you're… conduct, a moment ago?"  
I glared at him. How dare he liken vampires to filthy, graceless animals!

"Indeed," Skinner spoke up "we were all a-quiver… with curiosity."

Mina didn't speak for a few moments, but walked towards the river, gazing at it with a resigned look in her eye.

"My husband was Jonathan Harker," she said finally. I already knew this story, but wondered if she was going to share all of the gory details or just give us a very condensed version "Together with a professor named Van Helsing we fought a dangerous evil. It had a name; Dracula, he was Transylvanian."

"Oh, European?" Skinner interrupted "One of those radicals the newspapers love to report on?"

"I don't know Mr. Skinner," she turned to us, pulling down her scarf and the collar of her coat to reveal two dainty puncture marks in her throat "Is the vampiric _sucking_ of peoples' blood radical behaviour?"

"He can't help it if he has to drink blood to survive." I said softly. She stared at me. And stared. And stared. And stared. I think my opinion may seem a bit odd to her.

"Vampires are demons, nothing more, nothing less. You would know if you had more experience with them."

"Before this little exploit I was living with two vampires _actually_."

"Seriously?" The American asked, his eyes widening so much I thought his eyeballs might fall out.

"Oh yes," I said breezily. I was rather enjoying them all staring at me, all curious like.  
"I was living with a werewolf and a psychic as well. All of us are immortal… except the psychic, but Lucretia plans to turn her into a vampire when she reaches twenty." And I wasn't lying. She's had the idea ever since we'd taken her in.

"She would take her life against her will?" Nemo demanded.

"We've already discussed it, and Jasmine has given her full consent. She's very open-minded like that."

"I've heard of Lucretia Strange," Mina suddenly said, her eyes narrowed "she's a maniac. As are all people born into vampirism."

"Born into vampirism?" Quatermain cried. I sighed.

"Thousands of years ago, some vampires… evolved to a point where they could bear children. Children of such vampires are human until they croak, then they become vampires. For example, eighteen years ago Lucretia had a child. Last year, her child Catherine, succumbed to cancer and is now a vampire. Lucretia and Catherine's particular branch of super vamps are known as the Strange clan. Do you understand or do I have to explain it all again slowly?"

Everyone was silent for a few minutes.

"Gray really wasn't joking when he said you knew a lot about weird things was he?" Skinner asked, almost teasingly. At least _someone _could open their mind up a couple of inches.  
The water of the river began to gurgle and Nemo strode towards it.

"Ah, our transportation is forth-coming." He sounded so pleased with himself. What could be so great about his boat anyway?

"A boat?" Sawyer asked sceptically.

"It travels on water if that's what you mean," he turned to face us as with a great groaning sound, a vast ship emerged. Seriously, you could fit Gray's house in this thing a million times and the ship would still be half empty. "And beneath it."

We all craned our necks to see as much of its splendour as our feeble little eyes could take in. I looked to my left and my right and the thing was so damn big it went beyond the horizon.

"Behold, the Nautilus- The Sword of the Ocean. Next stop, Paris."


	4. Chapter 4: Not A Lady

_Authors Note: _This one is kind of short, but I was tired. I had intended to end this one after Jekyll/Hyde was introduced, but I'll do that in the next one.

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 4: Not A Lady

July 1899

Day One i.e. the same date as last time, but now with a number on it

The side of the ship fell open like a giant trap door, and Nemo led us inside, beaming like a proud parent as we ogled all the marvels inside. This place is so sophisticated and high-tech it looks like aliens designed it. Hmmm…. Maybe I should see if Nemo has a third eye or antennae under that turban of his.

He showed us all to our cabins as our tour progressed. Mina's room is just round the corner from mine, and the others are a few corridors away. The room is, like the rest of the ship, white with sombre black furniture. I have a bed that seems unnecessarily big, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a desk that is so wide it takes up an entire wall.

I sat in my room writing about all of this- the luggage I'd packed for my little heroic voyage had already been put in here, so I just had to open my trunk, pull out this diary and start writing.  
Anyway, there I sat, happily scribbling away, when the bell above my door rang. Nemo explained that there's a cord we can pull that'll summon one of his men, but when the little bell inside my room rings, I'm being called to a meeting in the board room.

I feel a little insulted that I can be called upon like a servant, but I guess it is a pretty good method of gathering us together in one place without having to tear the ship apart trying to find each other.  
I stalked out of my room, and set off in the direction I thought the board room was. Our tour of the ship had been only an hour ago, but I'm so useless I've forgotten where almost everything is.

I wandered the corridors for a few minutes, but I still had no clue where to go. I would probably have been stuck drifting like that forever, but when I turned a corner, I saw Quatermain walking in the opposite direction, so I crept after him. Even if he was going in the wrong direction, at least I wasn't the only one who was bloody lost.

When we _finally _got to the right place, Nemo beckoned Quatermain in. I stood outside for a few moments, so it wouldn't look like I'd followed him like a lost puppy. When I did go in, I noticed I was the last one to arrive.  
I'd have thought a hunter like Quatermain would have been able to trace Nemo's scent here or something, but he only arrived a minute before I did. I'm ashamed of you Allan- I'd have expected better from someone who struts about like he owns everything.

I could see Nemo smiling to himself as I scuttled in and took a seat. The fact that I was a quarter of an hour late made him laugh instead of pissing him off.  
If I'm this hopeless when we go up against the Fantom for a second time, the world is doomed.

"I had hoped to discuss our plan of action before we arrived," Nemo said once I was seated "But we'll just have to decide now we are here."

"Wait," Skinner sat forward in his chair "we're there _already_?"

"Yes, we are currently anchored in Paris." The boat moves so smoothly through the water we hadn't even noticed that it had stopped moving.

"How do we intend to _capture _our final recruit?" Nemo asked our congregation.

"I've already planned everything out," Quatermain answered, whipping out a rolled sheet of paper he had been carrying under his arm "place a net here-" he pointed to a spot on the map "Sawyer and I will corner him, and launch a flare when he's in position." Even I couldn't deny that it was a good plan.

Old git, constantly showing up the rest of us with all his… his… experience and stuff.

"Perhaps I should assist you and Agent Sawyer," Mina suggested "if he is as dangerous as you say he is, you'll need all the help you can get."

"No, this hunts too dangerous for a woman, even one such as you," he folded his map and handed it to Nemo, who handed it to one of his minions who ran off to the… net-deploying room? I wouldn't be surprised if this ship had one.

"Leave it to me."

"Can I come?" Well there was no harm in asking.

"No."

"Couldn't I just-"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

I glared and sat back in my chair.

"You're so over-dramatic." Gray snarled.

"No I'm not, you effeminate prick." Oops. I hadn't meant to say that. Why couldn't I keep my mouth shut for once? _Just once?  
_Everyone looked a little uneasy when Gray leaned forwards and looked me straight in the eye. I felt a little nervous myself, though I'm not actually sure why.

"I'm not going to waste my breath on a foul-mouthed, attention-seeking, pretentious, obnoxious, whiny little whore like you." He said in that casual, pompous voice of his.

"You just _did_." I spat. "Twat." I muttered under my breath.  
He made a sound of disgust.

"You are such a vulgar excuse of a lady and you are an embarrassment to your gender."

"Mr. Gray, I am not a _lady_ in any aspect and have never claimed that I was." I replied with a calmness that surprised even me.  
Gray opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off before he even started.

"Don't be so harsh with her Dorian. This is no time for bickering amongst ourselves." Mina scolded. I was rather surprised that she was defending me after I'd practically said that all vampires are big, fluffy, misunderstood kittens and that she should be proud to be one.

Gray and I broke eye contact, and it was like everyone had been holding their breath and they had just let them out as one. We sat in relieved silence until the man Nemo had sent scuttling off with the map returned.

"The net is in place, sir."

"Excellent," Quatermain stood, clapping his hands together "Come on boy, we have us a monster to catch." Sawyer practically skipped after him as they set off on their little hunting mission.

The rest of us stood up and exited the room, heading back to our cabins. I decided that I'd write in my diary a little more, then go and wait for them to bring in… whatever they had gone out to catch.

"For a moment there, I thought you were going to scratch Gray's eyes out." Skinner's voice suddenly said in my ear. I jumped slightly, and he smiled. If someone else crept up on me deliberately like that, I would have walked off and not spoken to them for the rest of the day, but when he does it, it's almost endearing.

"Even if I did, they'd probably just grow back or something, so there's no point." I replied sulkily.

"What brought that little tiff on anyway?"

"He's a malicious little twit."

"That's a little unfair, isn't it?" Even though he spoke in Gray's defence, he had chuckled when I insulted him.

"You're right," I said in my sweetest voice "that insult is far too complimentary. I should have said something more severe."

He grinned and we came to a stop. We were outside of his door, which (if I remember correctly… which I probably don't, knowing me) was the farthest from my room.

"I like you," Skinner said, still smiling. Damn, I never noticed how tall he was before. I'm pretty sure I'm the shortest person in the League at 5"9', but this guy must be roughly 6"3'.

"Goodnight." He added before opening his door and going into his room.

"Night." I responded. A little perplexed by his random 'I like you' I walked back to my room. That's right; I managed to find it by myself, without any guidance on my first try. It reminded me of something Lucretia often said to me whenever I lost hope or threw one of her more expensive possessions out of a window in anger "If at first you fail, try again. If at first you succeed, try not to look so astonished."

It's been quite a day and I'm utterly exhausted. I would go to sleep but I'm very anxious to see what our new recruit is like.

Some bloody hunter Quatermain is. He's taking _forever_.

Wait, I take that back… I think I'm being a bit cruel to him. I mean, being horrible to Gray is one thing, but in hindsight I feel a little bad about my attitude towards Quatermain. I'll make amends tomorrow.  
If he is gracious enough to accept my apology that is. And why is he so resolutely set against women? I fought as well as the others in the battle earlier.  
I suppose you really can't teach an old dog new tricks…

I just heard a dreadful noise from somewhere within the ship. The room actually _shook_. I'm going to go and investigate.


	5. Chapter 5: What Fear Smells Like

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 5: I Wonder What Fear Smells Like

July 1899

Day Two in the League

Before I start on today, I need to backtrack a little.

Last night, Quatermain and Sawyer brought in our last recruit. I would have loved to go along but 'this hunt's too dangerous for a woman'. Sawyer can't even shoot straight. I would have been a lot more helpful than him in capturing a monster; it used to be part of my old job after all, before the whole prostitute palaver.

So, I was sitting in the dull safety of my room, when the whole bloody ship begins to shake and there are roars coming from somewhere deep in the ship, it sounds as if the devil himself has been let loose down there.

I admit, as much I'm embarrassed too, that I felt a bit scared. But I told myself that I've faced things that are ten times as bad… probably.  
After some dithering, I dragged myself from my room and tried to find the source of the noise. It wasn't hard- that thing was making such a racket, I wouldn't be surprised if they could hear us in China.

They were keeping him in one of the storage rooms below, which are kept at subzero temperatures to keep food fresh. If I'd known I'd have to go into what was practically an underwater igloo, I would have brought my coat.  
He'd been shackled to the wall by thick steel chains, and was surrounded by a few of Nemo's crew, who were armed with spears and were trying to get him under control.

They may as well have not bothered with the chains.  
He was flinging men across the room as soon as they got within five feet of him, and they could have been poking him with cushions for all the effect the spears were having.  
He was huge- about 10 or 11 feet tall and he had vast muscles that made a rhinoceros look gentle and friendly.

I felt all my worries melt away when I saw him. He certainly wasn't the worst thing I'd ever encountered- granted, I wouldn't want to have to be stuck alone in a room with him, but if I had to fight him, I'd definitely have a good chance of beating him.

Quatermain, Nemo and Sawyer were standing there and… actually that's pretty much all they were doing. Just watching while he beat the crap out of some of Nemo's men.

"So, is standing and staring our plan of action," I asked them as I approached "or are we actually going to do something?"

"We're waiting until he calms down so we can attempt to negotiate with him." Nemo explained, never taking his eyes off of the creature.

"How is killing half your crew instrumental in that plan?"

"They're the only thing standing between him and freedom," Quatermain said "Besides, none of them are actually dead."

"No, just beaten to a very painful pulp." I pointed out as several of them tried to peel themselves off the floor.

The other League members then came in to see our newest friend.

"Stay back, if you value your life!" Quatermain warned them. Was it a compliment or an insult that he hadn't said that to me when I came in?

The creature decided to show off more now that the others were here, and started knocking people off their feet in an even more recklessly violent fashion than before. Skinner, despite standing as far away from the creature as he could without looking like a complete girl, was knocked over as the creature continued to swing his arms like a deranged windmill.

Gray was standing closest to him and condescended to help him to his feet. Skinner recoiled in pain and said

"Ow! …You scratched me."

"Better me than him." Gray replied with a smirk.

I would write about the thoughts that went through my head, like how I thought about ripping all of his teeth out and seeing how quick he would be to smirk and smile then, but I'll continue to the good stuff.

"Well, this is nice." Gray commented dryly.

"Mr. Hyde!" Quatermain said to get the creatures attention "You've done terrible things in England,"

The creature began to pace back and forth, probably wondering how long this little righteous speech was going to go on for.

"So terrible that you fled the country… and I'm ashamed to say that Her Majesty's government is willing to offer you amnesty… in return for you services… do you want to go home?" He said that last bit almost gently.  
The creature stopped pacing.

"Home," he said, his voice deep and hoarse. Most likely from all that shouting and bellowing earlier "Home's where the heart is, that's what they say. And I have been missing London so… its sorrow is as sweet to me as a rare wine,"

His eyes fell on Mina and he grinned:

"I'm yours." She didn't seem to know what to say to that. Hyde turned to Sawyer.

"Don't be afraid."

"Who says I'm afraid?" He asked cockily.

"YOU DO!!" Hyde ripped one of the chains from the wall and swung it in a great arc across the room, so we all had to duck to avoid being hit.

"YOU STINK OF FEAR!"

Hmm, I wonder what fear smells like?  
As if he had heard my thoughts, Hyde's attention was then focused on me, his eyes narrowed.

"What?" I demanded impetuously.

"You…" he peered at me like I had two heads "Of all of them, you're the only one who isn't afraid."

"Why would I be? I've defeated things bigger and fiercer than you."

I think I may have hurt his pride a little when I said that.

He glowered at me for a few long moments, and I half expected him to try and hit me with one of his chains as he had done earlier, but Gray stuck his nose in before anything in the least bit exciting could happen.  
Why are people always ruining my fun?

"Quite the parlour trick."

"You wait till you see my next one." He raised himself up to his full height.

Then he started to change.  
He smoked as if he had been thrown on a fire and he writhed in pain as his body shrank itself. In many ways, he looked more horrific as his body condensed itself back to his normal size than he had as Mr. Hyde.

I was reminded of Monique and the agony on her face when she transformed into a wolf. I've only been gone for what, 5, 6, days and already I'm getting homesick.  
When the ordeal was over, a small, shaking, sweating, panting man was left standing in Hyde's place. He shrugged the chains off and stood. He had to clasp his torn trousers in both hands to stop them falling down.

"Dr Jekyll… at your service…"

Quatermain turned to the rest of us and smiled.

"So, the League is set." Is that _all _he has to say after seeing him suffer through an intense pain we can only imagine? He could at least make him decent, for God's sake.

A nearby machine whirred and spat out a strip of paper.

"And so is the date for the conference," Nemo said after he had read it "We have three days to get to Venice."

Wait… did he just say Venice?

"Three days? Can this canoe do that?" Sawyer asked contemptuously.

"You underestimate the Nautilus… you underestimate her greatly."

"We're going to Venice?" I said to no one in particular. Nemo was going to answer, but I was too busy being annoyed to listen.

"I just _came _from Venice! M made me come all the way to London to meet you lot, and now I'm being dragged _back_?"

I threw up my hands in annoyance and walked out before anyone could say a word.

* * *

Ok, so that was last night.

Onto todays insane little adventures.

It didn't take long to discover that even though the Nautilus is probably the biggest ship on the entire planet, there is pretty much nothing to do here. I holed myself up in my room for most of the morning, skipping breakfast, and flicking through some of my books.  
I'm not a big fan of reading like Lucretia is, but I'd brought some of my more useful spell and/or potion books with me, just in case. These things had pretty much anything and everything written in them.

For example, one of the more random potions in _Elixirs of the Ages _is the Null potion. What does it do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. Someone actually took the time to invent a potion that does sod all.

But I got sick of staring at the same four walls.  
A good night's sleep had helped my memory- even though I'd had no idea where anything was yesterday; I could remember where most of the rooms were now.  
I went straight to the deck to get a bit of fresh air. However, everyone else in the League had had the same idea because the deck, which was quite small in the first place, was filled by them.

Mina was standing majestically at the end of the narrow bit of the deck that was stuck onto the main, round section. Quatermain, who was playing with a big shiny rifle (big surprise) and Sawyer who was staring longingly at Mina were standing on the left (or port) side and Gray, who was casting the occasional nonchalant glance at Mina was on the right (or starboard- wow, I remembered both!) side.

I went round the back of the stairwell, hoping to get some privacy, but Skinner and Jekyll were already standing there.

Putting up with these two would be better than putting up with the other four, so I stood between the two of them and gazed out at the sea. I have mixed feelings for the sea- it's big, blue and gorgeous, but it reminds me of the hours upon hours I had spent down at the docks as a child because my mother wouldn't let me in the house.

Jekyll, who was on my left, kept glancing at me and fiddling with his pocket watch. He wanted to say something, but was too shy to spit it out.  
I was in a good mood. I'd let him take all the time he needed.

He kept up his little look-up, look-at-pocket-watch, look-up, look-at-pocket-watch routine for a few minutes before he tucked it back in his pocket and faced me.

"Edward…" Edward? He means Hyde, I think "Edward wants to know if you really meant what you said last night… about defeating things, bigger and fiercer than he was?"

"I did," I replied with a smile "it used to be my job, actually."

"You were employed to kill monsters?"

"Not just that. We did other things as well."

"I thought you were a prostitute." Skinner said. Fine, don't even try to be subtle when inserting yourself in someone else's conversation.

"I turned to that line of work because I was fired from my previous occupation."

If anything brings on an uncomfortable silence, that does.

"I stopped caring about that a long time ago," after a few minutes in utter silence, I tried to heal the rift by being bubbly "besides, I'm a little glad I was fired. We caused more trouble than we solved, and I didn't completely agree with what we were doing. We killed vampires and werewolves, just because they weren't _completely _human."

"Do I count as _completely _human?" Jekyll asked bitterly.

"Of course you do," I insisted "You yourself are as human as they come and while Hyde isn't exactly normal, there are stranger things in the world."

Not sure what brought it on, but suddenly I remembered that I had meant to apologize to Quatermain for being such a bitch for the past two days.

Without another word to Jekyll or Skinner, I walked around the stairwell to where Quatermain stood, still brandishing his rifle.

Sawyer had wandered off, and was now talking to Mina.

"Mr. Quatermain."

"What?" he snapped.

"I know we have not been on the most civil of terms," I reached into my head and pulled out all Lucretia had taught me about speaking with politeness and dignity "but I feel that if we are to work together effectively on this mission, we should put aside our differences. I apologize for treating you in a disrespectful manner."

Again, that stare I seem to keep getting. The bewildered one with a side of "Are you joking?"

"Didn't think you could keep any word longer than five letters in that pretty little head of yours." He finally said. I took a deep breath, and stayed calm.

"Mr. Quatermain, I am extending an olive branch, I'd prefer if you didn't set fire to it."

"I suppose you're right… we should be able to at the very least tolerate each others presence. But I wonder if you'll be giving the same speech to Gray?"

"No, he deserves all he gets." I responded without even pausing to think. Quatermain gave a sort of half-smile.

"I admire your conviction, I'll give you that."

"Most would call it pig-headedness, so thanks."

"I'm sure you're not the only one with a grudge against Gray." He glanced at Sawyer, who now had his 'kicked-puppy' expression. His conversation with Mina had gone awry, poor sod.

"The solar panels are fully charged," Nemo told us, stepping out of the stairwell. "We'll be diving in a moment."

We all trooped down the stairs back into the ship. Everyone parted ways, walking off to different locations with such purpose- I, on the other hand had nothing to do.  
Even though I could get lost in this place for all eternity, I went for a walk around the ship. It's got to be better than being stuck in my room all the time.

All the corridors look the same in this damn place. I'm fairly certain the dining room is in the next hallway, but for all I know it could be on the other side of the ship.

I passed an open door and that's when I saw it.

Something so magical it made my heart burst with joy.

It's facing the door, and it's almost like this room was set up just for me. I make sure the corridor is empty, go through the open door and close it soundlessly behind me.


	6. Chapter 6: Friendly Chats

_Authors Note: _A short chapter, I know; the next few probably are going to be a bit short, since they are just spanning the gap between the fight scenes and explosions and all the other exciting bits

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 6: Friendly Chats

July 1899

Day Two in the League

I placed my fingers gently on the keys. I know it's not the actual piano we had in the house when I was growing up, but it's like I could feel all my memories of ever playing music flooding through me.  
How can such beautiful sounds be made by just pressing these thin white strips?  
I sat at the stool, my fingers still on the keys and began to play the first piece that came to my mind. I wouldn't be able to tell you what it was; it was like I was possessed. I just sat there, my fingers dancing over the keys with a mind of their own.  
No idea how long I was sitting there, but when I finally came to a stop and stood up, I saw Skinner standing right next to me.

"You play beautifully." Was all he said.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"A few minutes."

I could feel my cheeks turning red. Was it weird that I felt embarrassed? I don't even know why I was.

"I didn't know you could play the piano."

"You never asked." He smiled at that.

"I guess I just didn't expect someone like you to know how."  
I frowned. That was a bit rich coming from _him_.

"I'm full of surprises."

"You can say that again."

We were silent for a few moments. I seized the opportunity to ask something that I had been thinking about.

"I joined the League because I had nothing better to do. Everyone else has joined in return for something… You joined in exchange for an antidote, didn't you?"  
He tilted his head to one side and didn't say anything.

"Why did you think it would be a good idea to turn invisible in the first place?"

"To become a better thief… you cast spells and the like don't you?"

"Yes…"

"Think there's one that could make me normal again?"

"I'm not sure," I couldn't remember having heard of a visibility spell "but even if you weren't invisible, I don't think God himself could make you _normal_. What's so odd about being invisible anyway? Stranger things have happened- I should know, they always seem to be happening to me."  
He lapsed into silence again. He just stood there, staring at the floor for what felt like an age.

"I suppose you're right," he looked up and grinned "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some very important sneaking around to do." He left the room, and after I'd replayed the conversation in my head, I felt homesick again.

I spent most of my time before this whole 'saving the world' debacle whining to my friends about this, that and the other. It felt like a bit of a betrayal to them, meeting new people.  
Monique and Jasmine did all the socializing; Lu, Catherine and I would just skulk around the house and rarely talk to anyone outside our little circle.  
I walked back to my room and collapsed on my bed. The clock on my bedside table said it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon.  
We were below water at the moment, so I couldn't walk off my restlessness by going up on deck. I was stuck back in my room with nothing to do and nowhere to go.

And this. Was only. The first. Bloody. _Day._


	7. Chapter 7: Even Friendlier Chats

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 7: Even Friendlier Chats

July 1899

Day Three in the League

Second day of our journey to Venice.  
I woke up even later than I had yesterday. Yesterday I got up at about 10- today it was just after 12!

I might have slept through the whole day, but one of Nemo's men came knocking at my door and said the Captain was concerned by my absence at breakfast. I said to tell him I was fine just a little tired- which was true. I never noticed just how tiring doing nothing is before.  
I stayed in my room for almost all of the day, reading past entries in my diary and reminiscing about my friends; I'm not saying I hate everyone of this boat, but we're…colleagues, I suppose.

Never thought I'd miss Monique's incessant babbling, the way Jasmine treated that creepy pet lizard of hers like it was a person, or how Catherine would ink a delicate pattern of swirls up my arm when she was bored.  
I even miss Lucretia's scarred face, and the way her mismatched eyes look at me like she can't just see my soul- she has it, she knows it, like the back of her own scabby, calloused hands.

The only interruption I had all day was at one, when one of Nemo's men gave me a tray with a generous bowl of soup on it. Just goes to show what a valued member of the team I am, that I can just be shut up in my room for the better part of our journey without actually being needed for anything.

I had planned on flicking through my spell books again, but when I opened my trunk they were all gone. Someone must have come in here yesterday while I was frolicking on the piano and taken them.

My mind leapt immediately to Gray. I wouldn't be surprised of he stole them to get on my nerves.  
But, I took a few mental steps back and decided not to let my prejudices get in the way. I concluded that if anyone had taken them, it would have been Skinner.

He'd been asking if I could cure his invisibility thing with magic, and he might have decided he could seek the answer on his own by reading my books. I wasn't going to bring it up at any rate. If it was him, I didn't want to embarrass him be drawing attention to it.  
If it wasn't, then I didn't know for sure who had nicked them.

I might have stayed in my room for a full day, but at about 7 in the evening I got sick of it. I'd go mad if I stayed for that long in these four little walls without a breath of fresh air. I went up on deck, which was deserted for once. The sun was just setting, and I really couldn't have picked a better time to come up. The day time was great, with its wide blue skies, unmarred by clouds but sunsets are always spectacular.

I leant on the railings and watched the dark blue melting into the pinks and oranges on the horizon. The evening brought with it a light breeze, as if sighing as it said goodnight to the sun.

I think it was at about half past 7 that the steel door opened behind me and Mina stepped onto the deck, completely nonplussed when she saw I was there. She smiled that demure smile of hers and stood by me at the railing.

"Good evening, Miss Hollow." She said.

"Please, call me Danny. Everyone does."

"As you wish, Danny." She rolled my name around on her tongue, trying it out.

"What brings you up here?"

"The same reason as you, I suspect- A great need for fresh air."

I would have said something more, but I was hit by that same feeling I'd had when we had first met. That overwhelming sense of inadequacy.  
She was majestic and beautiful, and I, I had a large purple bruise on my knuckles from the fight in Gray's library.

"I wanted to apologize for Dorian's… unseemly remarks a few days ago." Ah, she was talking about our argument-that-wasn't in the board room when we'd arrived in Paris.

"It's alright, I've been called much worse for much less," I replied "I haven't exactly been civil to him either."

"Such provocation was uncalled for regardless of that… and he continues to speak out against you when you are not present."

"Oh? What does he say?"

"He has dropped several strong hints that you are the spy among us."

"There's a spy among us?" I certainly hadn't known _that_.

"I'm afraid so."

"Now that you mention it, some of my belongings have gone missing." She frowned.

"What has been taken?"

"My spell books… someone could cause _serious _damage with them, if they were so minded."

She was silent for a few moments, digesting this. I took the opportunity to say something that had been haunting me ever since I'd said it.

"I'd like to apologize for offending you with my views on vampires." She looked quite stunned.

"Oh, I wasn't offended, I-"

"Please, just listen. I know how hard it must be for you, being turned into something you tried to destroy… I can't imagine the agony. But I do my best not to generalize. It's the vampires that let the demon inside control them that are evil. Lucretia and Catherine, while not being the gentlest or kindest of creatures, do their best to remain human… or at least, as human as they ever were." I was thinking of Catherine.

She was so cold and unfeeling. She didn't care about anyone outside our little circle. She could kill people as soon as look at them. Death truly did become her.

"I do understand that some vampires are evil," I continued "I've had quite a few unpleasant experiences with them in my lifetime."

"Such as?" she asked.

"On my 18th birthday a pack of them chased me through London. That exploit had good repercussions, since that was how I met Lucretia and Monique... What about you? Have you had any of your own encounters with them? Apart from Dracula, I mean."

"No, that was the first and only time I've met another of the undead…"

I could tell from the way she stared down into the waves and her tight grip on the railing that she didn't want to talk about it.

"I... I admire you for your strength and courage." She said, looking up at me and smiling.

"_You _admire _me_?"

"Of course. You are so determined and independent." She insisted.

"Another way of saying stubborn and anti-social." I muttered.

"Before I became what I am, I would never have dreamed of living without a man and making my own way in the world. How on Earth did you manage it?"

"Well, when I came to London, I only had the clothes on my back. It was either destitution or prostitution. I'll admit, making a living was difficult but it all worked out. Besides, I've had my friends living with me for a long time. We rogues have to stick together." She laughed.

"Even thought that does rather go against the very nature of a rogue… I suppose, that's what the League is," she gazed at the now black horizon "lonely villains hiding from the world, huddling together in the cold…"

"I wouldn't go as far as to call us villains. Anyway, the League was created to save the world from the Fantom. As soon as that's done, we'll probably disband."

"Oh, I do hope not." She murmured, almost to herself. I checked the time and saw that it was quarter past 8. The wind was really starting to pick up now, making the sea churn and gurgle violently.

"I think the time has come for me to retire to my room," I said, walking to the thick, steel door. "I'll probably see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Danny."

"Goodnight Mrs. Harker." She smiled, quite warmly at me.

"Please, call me Mina."


	8. Chapter 8: You're All Stupid

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 8: You're All Stupid

July 1899

Day Four in the League

Third day of our journey. According to Nemo, we'll be arriving in Venice tonight, and it's about bloody time.  
I went to bed at half past 8 last night; to make sure I could drag myself out at 6 in the morning. I went up on deck and saw the sun tiptoeing up the sky, its base just touching the horizon.

At 8 o'clock, I went down to the dining room where the others had just begun to assemble themselves. I had missed every other meal, surviving off of the food Nemo had his men bring me, so they seemed a little surprised that I had joined them this morning.

I hadn't been missing much by staying in my room. No one said anything, but the room was far from silent.

Quatermain and Nemo kept glancing at the others round the table with suspicion in their eyes. Perhaps they thought that the next time they looked up from their food, a huge beacon would be hovering over the head of the spy.

Gray, Sawyer, Jekyll and Mina had a little love… square (is there even such a thing as a love square? Probably not) going on, in which they would keep looking up at each other when they thought the others weren't looking.  
Gray and Sawyer would glower at one another when they caught one another's eye. But Jekyll remained as meek and polite as ever, and would instantly look away whenever someone saw him staring at them.  
For that, I hoped that if Mina did choose any of them, she'd choose Jekyll. Gray was the one she looked at most, though, so he's probably got the best chance.

Skinner would sometimes look up at me and grin. I couldn't help but smile back.

Once breakfast was over, I resisted the urge to go back to my room. I spent hours navigating my way through the ship, and when I finally came to a stop at quarter to one I had to ask one of the crew to take me back to the dining room.

I got back just in time for lunch, which was an exact repeat of breakfast, only this time I was bloody longer.  
I pined for my little cabin of solitude; but I had decided last night that I would not go back to my room until it was time to sleep, and I was going to stick by my vow even if it killed me.

When lunch ended at 2, I went up on deck and just stood there watching the sea for what seemed like forever. I enjoyed the peace of it, but before I knew it 6 damn hours of my life were gone and the sun had set.

I went back down below and came across Quatermain, Nemo and Sawyer all examining some faded sheets of paper.

"This looks almost interesting," I commented as I joined them "What's all this in aid of?"

"Da Vinci's blueprints of Venice." Nemo explained absently.

"We're trying to figure out what the Fantom's up to." Sawyer added.

I probably should have paid attention to what they were saying, but I quickly grew bored and stopped listening. I did tune in long enough to hear the gist of the conversation though.

"With these blueprints," Nemo said gravely "the Fantom could place a bomb that would blow Venice's foundations to rubble."

"He's gonna sink the whole city!" Sawyer exclaimed.

"I'm afraid that's not the sum of our problems," Jekyll had materialized in the doorway without the rest of us noticing "Skinner- he's taken a vial of my formula."

"Are you sure?" Quatermain asked.

"Who else? You've seen the way the sneaky bugger operates."

"Skinner? You seriously think _he's _the spy?" I said incredulously.

"Come on, Danny, he's a thief." Sawyer said, as if that miraculously justified the fact that everyone was leaping to conclusions.

"So? People usually go against society's righteous moral code because they are forced to, not because they want to," I might have been thinking slightly of myself when I said that "He's not the spy, I'm sure of it."  
They all exchanged glances. They're probably thinking that the poor, uppity little witch has got it in her head to defy the all-knowing power of their superior male minds. I've got to be wrong, they're certain. God forbid one of the seemingly civilised people on this ship could be so traitorous.

"Look," I sighed in exasperation "you all suspect Skinner because he's a thief, right? He's the most obvious target for blame, right?" They didn't say anything, wondering what I was getting at.

"Well, the whole point of being a spy in to remain hidden. If you have a history of crime, and everyone would suspect you at the first sign of betrayal, you'd be pretty rubbish at remaining undiscovered."

"So what you're saying is that it's going to be someone we _least_ suspect?" Quatermain asked.

"Exactly." They understood!

"Who do you suspect then?" Sawyer demanded.

"Gray." No hesitation there.  
Again, they did the thing where they exchange glances. That wasn't a good sign.

"Don't you think that perhaps you're letting your anger with him cloud your judgement?" Jekyll asked softly. Stupid me, I'd just undermined any sort of credibility my theory had.

"No."

They didn't believe me. They were back to square one, convinced that this was Skinner's fault. I wanted to scream "You're all stupid and you know nothing!!" but before I could one of Nemo's men appeared in the doorway and said

"Captain, we are about to dock in Venice. You are needed at the helm."


	9. Chapter 9: It Isn't, It is

_Authors Note_: Continued chapter shortness. Sorry, but I seem incapable of marathon chapter writing these days. I'll probably _not _do the whole Venice action scene in the next chapter, but eke this series out a bit.

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 9: It Isn't… It Is

July 1899

Day Four in the League

I bet they all suspect me now. Of being the spy. After all that commotion about it, I would if I were them.  
But, their concerns are truly wasted. Back in my youth, when I had a _real _job, I had been trusted to go undercover for the magical community's government… a bit like being in the Secret Service, like Sawyer.  
Thanks to me, the entire thing blew up and I was swiftly fired.

Anyway, back to the Venice incident.

After we'd been told that we were arriving in Venice, I went back to my room to change into something a little more… battleworthy.  
If this was going to be anything like the fight in Gray's library I didn't want to be wearing a goddamn dress.  
I had prepared for this situation, and had nicked some of Lucretia's clothes before leaving. She's bigger than I am, so I had to roll up the sleeves of her shirt and the legs of her trousers but apart from that they were fine.  
Better than fine. I could almost smell her on them… Ah, bloody nostalgia. Didn't think it would be this bad.

We all trooped up to the helm as the Nautilus squeezed itself down the canals of Venice, trying to get as close to the city centre as it could. Once the ship began to scrape across the bottom of a bridge, Nemo gave the order for the ship to stop.  
He led us down to the giant metal trapdoor we'd gone through when we first got on the ship into a square crowded with people. Some sort of carnival, I think.

I've never been happier to be standing on real, solid ground.  
I would have got to my knees and started kissing the floor if we didn't have a bomb to find.

When I thought about it, this whole saving the world from war seemed strangely… formal to me. I mean, when in my old job, the fat cats would come to me and pay me to go and capture/kill some monster for them, and off I'd trot.  
It was as simple as that. This was much more organized and solemn. Boring, almost.

"Deploy the divers beneath the city," Nemo commanded as his crew also began to exit the ship "The explosive must be found."

A bit of a redundant thing to say, but nevermind.

"This city is vast, it could be anywhere!" Mina cried.

"What about Skinner?" Sawyer asked, a hint of disgust in his voice- and I _swear _he glanced at me when he said that.

At the mention of him, I looked around to see if he was with us, but our invisible friend was missing. He could have been here with us; he was invisible after all, but I still felt a knot of worry in my gut.

"I'd be alert for his treachery." Gray replied. I felt a spark of anger just from hearing his voice, but kept control of myself. I should save my fury for the enemy.

At that moment, the bomb went off.

I glanced at the crowds of people that had flocked in the square, but none of them seemed to be in the slightest bit worried. Idiots, don't they realize the danger, that they're sitting ducks?  
But then, bright streams and sparks of light flew across the sky, and the League seemed to let out a collective sigh. They were fireworks, nothing more.

"Bloody carnival." Quatermain cursed.

"God, I feared the worst." Mina said shakily.

"It's all right," Sawyer smiled reassuringly and put his hand on her arm "We still have time."

"You do have time- but not very much."

It isn't.

The League is staring at the figure that emerged from the crowds and now stands before us. When I finally manage to drag my eyes up from the floor to look, I see that…

It is.

It's Lucretia.


	10. Chapter 10: Lucretia

_Authors Note_: OK, _next _chapter will be all the big fight scenes, where Danny and Lucretia fly across rooftops (literally) killing the bad guys who are trying to stop the League. They'll love it. Those two are so damn violent…

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death 

Chapter 10: Lucretia?!

July 1899

Day Four in the League

"Lucretia?!" I squawked.  
There was a very long silence as we all gaped at her, and she stared back with that unnervingly level stare of hers.

"_This _is Lucretia Strange?" Gray said, his voice overflowing with revulsion. When he said this- I felt sure my head would explode! Insulting me is one thing, but how dare he speak about my oldest and dearest friend that way!

"I am, and you are the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."

I could tell from their expressions that the rest of the League felt the same way as Gray.  
The only vampire they had ever met was Mina- graceful, powerful, and beautiful.  
Now they were faced with Lucretia- graceful, powerful, and horribly scarred.

She has a giant red cut that runs down the right side of her face, quite close to the centre and goes up the left side of her jawbone. As a result, her right eye is green while the other, unmarked one is blue.  
The fact that she only ever wears men's clothes and is 6 bloody feet tall doesn't help matters.

She is the opposite of the suave, sophisticated creature they all expected.

"Danny," she ignored their stares- she's used to that- and spoke to me "it is truly wonderful to see your face again."

I'm a little shocked- I'd expected her to rip my head from my shoulders when she saw me again.

"But," she arched her ruined eyebrow at me "this is most unbecoming."

"What?" My hand flew to my throat, stroking the soft fabric of her shirt "This? Well, it's just that I-"

"Not that." She smiled and cleared the 10 foot gap between us in a few strides. Her hand went behind my head, and probed my scalp for a few moments. She grabbed the pins holding my hair in a tight bun on the back of my head and gently pulled them out. My hair fell down, hitting my back heavily.

"There you are."

I grinned, and flung my arms around her neck. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, it really does.  
Quatermain coughed behind us and I let her go. I turned to him, frowning slightly.

"What exactly did you tell this woman about the League?" he hissed at me.

"She told me nothing," Lucretia answered for me "It was only because Catherine told me that I knew- and the only reason Catherine was aware of Danny's plans was because she stole the letter asking for her assistance."

"Catherine?" I suddenly remember her, and the conversation we'd had about this "But- but-" I cleared my throat and tried again "I told her not to tell you! I trusted her to keep my secret!"

"Well that wasn't very smart, now was it?"

"I'm… surprised you took it so well. I expected you to self-combust when I got back."

"Nonsense," she laughed "I admit, I was rather riled by this at first. But, setting fire to your bed made me feel infinitely better."

"Oh, thanks a _lot_." I should have known. The only reason she's OK with this is because she's already had her revenge.

"You had it coming." She rolled her eyes.

"No I bloody _didn't_."

"You did."

"Didn't." The League stared at us with a sort of strange fascination, surveying our little exchange, and making no move to stop us despite our limited amount of time.

"Did."

"Did not."

"How could you be so hopelessly reckless? Throwing yourself head first into danger? As you always do…"

"Listen lady, I'm preventing a world war; what have you done with your life?"

"A great deal more than you could ever dream of."

"I doubt that- I've been alive a whole lot longer than you have for a start."

"Strumpet."

"Death breath."

"Drunken ingrate."

"You… you…" I'm at a loss for words already? Damn. Sometimes we can keep these little wars of the words going for hours… not that we have hours to spare.

I finally settle on what is usually my finishing insult.

"Twat."

We glower at each other for a few long moments, before grinning wholeheartedly.

"What was _that_?" Sawyer exclaimed.

"Oh, just a touch of friendly hostility," Lucretia said breezily "Conflict is healthy, after all."

"I think in our case it's too much of a good thing." She laughed.

"Might I ask, why are you here?" Jekyll tried his best to be polite. Lu's face lost its smile as she went into super serious mode.

"To assist you."

"We don't need assistance." Gray spat. She fixed him with her patented glare of death- well it's not really a glare. She just has this… _look _in her eye.  
As if at any moment she's going to launch herself at you and flay you alive.  
You don't know when she'll strike… but she will. She's looked at me like that many times before, and it feels like I'm sitting in my own grave.  
I shivered despite the warmth of the early evening.

"Be that as it may, I can not stand by while Venice is destroyed," She really couldn't. She loves this place more than she loves… well, anything. "I do not need your consent- I thought it would be polite, to offer my services in your endeavour, but it is of no consequence that you have declined. I came to you for another reason." She turned to me and grinned.

"Danny, you'll be far more instrumental in putting a spanner in the works if you follow my path."

"Your path? What exactly does that entail?" Nemo demanded, eyeing her with great distrust.

"You and your men will work to prevent the bomb from detonating. Danny and I will be taking a rather more direct approach to the matter. This place is swarming with men who will try and stop you- I can sense them. We will dispose of them before they can make any attempts to intervene."

Quatermain shook his head "That's ridiculous. You'll never be able to kill them all before the-"

Guess what happened then.

Yes.

The bomb went off.

The people began screaming as the ground shook, as if God had just picked up the Earth and shaken it like a snow globe. Building began to crumble and collapse all around us.

"Hey, Quatermain was right for once." I muttered.

"We're too late!" Mina exclaimed.  
Buildings began to collapse into one another, pushing over the one next to it, then the one next to that, and the one next to that, until a devastating domino effect was set in motion with nothing to stop it.

"There must be more than one bomb!" Quatermain observed.

"And it seems that plan just went entirely to pieces," Lucretia sighed in exasperation.

"Oh well," She extended her hand to me "Are you coming?"

I looked at the other Leagues members as they began forming a plan to stop the chain of destruction by blowing up one of the buildings. Sawyer sprinted inside the Nautilus as the others bickered and came out driving Wheels in a rather haphazard manner.  
Their plan sounded like it could work.  
I was sure they could handle it on their own.

And while I had become almost fond of the League over the past few days, none of them could compare to Lucretia.  
So when Quatermain called for me to get into the automobile, I turned to Lu and said "Hell yes." Without any regrets at all.

I took her hand- which was as rough as stone- and we dashed off into the streets of Venice, partners in crime reunited and getting ready to do some damage.


	11. Chapter 11: Morally Grey

_Author's Note: _You poor, poor people, yet again you fall victim to one of my sub-standard action scenes. Sorry.

Read This Dairy And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 11: Morally-Grey

July 1899

Day Four in the League

Lucretia and I ran, hand in hand down a back alley street. I had no idea where we were going, but she seemed to. Her eyes were glued to the rooftops above our heads but she ran without a single wrong step.  
We ran into a very small, very empty square and came to a stop. There were several larger streets leading off of this square, as well as several canals.

"Right," Lucretia nodded to herself "Now the work begins."

She gripped my hand even tighter and leapt about thirty feet in the air, carrying me with her. It's really, really weird floating on the air like that as if gravity suddenly stopped working. But we were only in the air for a few seconds before we touched down on the roof of a building.  
I could see now that men were standing with their back to us several rooftops away, their guns pointed at the street below them.  
Lucretia released my hand and pulled two machetes from her belt. She ran soundlessly towards them, jumping over the gaps between buildings without even seeming to notice that she there had been a gap at all. I followed her, pulling a pair of pistols from my own belt. I wasn't as unnaturally silent as she was, but they were too busy to notice the sound I made.

When we were standing behind them, Lucretia turned to me and nodded. I aimed for two of the men and shot them through the head, while Lucretia stuck her machetes between the shoulder blades of two.

The entire street had been filled with them so to our left and right, we were suddenly faced with guns. Lucretia smiled and pointed to the right.

"You go that way, I'll go this way."

I shot the next few men- while the shooting part was easy enough (they were only standing about three feet from me) I also had to concentrate on creating a barrier of air between myself and them, so the bullets they fired at me all froze in mid-air just before they hit me. Once I'd emptied my gun, I flicked my hand so all the floating bullets went shooting back towards them. This trick managed to kill about 10 all in one go.  
I was tired of air displacement- it's very effective, but a little dull. Time to exercise some of my other powers.  
Some of the men came sprinting towards me, still holding their now empty guns. Using earth manipulation, I made the roof they were standing on crumble beneath their feet, so they went plummeting into the room below. I leapt over the gap and snapped my fingers, creating two vast fireballs.  
I flung these at the remaining cluster of men (all of whom looked a little scared) and they all started screaming in agony as the flames consumed them. Several of them tripped over the edge of the rooftop, and fell to very messy, but quicker deaths. I waved my arm and sent the dying men flying off in different directions. I didn't want to be around when they _really _started to fry- the smell of burnt flesh sticks to hair and clothes and doesn't wash out for days.

I felt a little upset that I hadn't been able to use my fists in this fight, but at least I wouldn't be littered with bruises like I usually was. I already had enough from a few days ago.  
I heard a familiar roar from down in the street. When I looked down, I saw Wheels come skidding round the corner. If that Sawyer bloke doesn't drive it a bit more carefully, he's going to get them all killed, and then who the hell will stop the Fantom?

They all looked up, obviously expecting to get shot at. I glanced at Lucretia- she was surrounded by dead bodies and vast puddles of blood. She had put one foot on the edge of the roof, and was looking down at the League. She waved and blew them a kiss just before they disappeared from view.  
Lucretia strolled nonchalantly towards me, wiping the blood from her machetes on the sleeve of her shirt.

"Any more murders we need to commit?" I asked.

"I doubt it. This area had the highest concentration of enemies," She grinned "and I imagine your friends will have realized they can solve this problem on their own."

She gestured to something behind me. I turned around and a dozen streets away, a cloud of bats was spreading over the rooftops.

"Now that our task is complete," Lu slid her machetes back into her belt "shall I escort you back to the ship?"

I didn't even think about telling her not to trouble herself- I would make any excuse to stay with her for a bit longer. "Yes, please."

She grabbed my hand again and we leaped into the street the League had passed through. It was strewn with dead bodies that had fallen from above, a few of which were still burning. She led me back through the streets in the direction we had come from.

"How are you finding life on the side of good?"

"What do you mean?" I narrowed my eyes.

"You yourself once said that you were 'morally-grey'. These new little friends of yours seem so vigilant and honourable."

"They certainly don't see themselves that way. All they ever do is angst about how evil they are."

She chuckled "They would be of the same mindset as our dear Monique."

Being a werewolf is hardly the worst thing in the world, but Monique, as Lucretia said, seemed to be painfully insecure and upset about it.

"But, are they so disagreeable?"

"No…" I paused "I suppose not. Quatermain, despite being a bit arrogant, isn't all bad and Nemo is quite nice. Sawyer is…" I searched for words "eager. Jekyll redefines the words gentle and meek, and Mina is rather like you,"

Lucretia smiled. For a moment I considered not mentioning Skinner- his situation had me worried, and if there was one thing I hated, it was showing when I was afraid or worried.  
But Lucretia, being Lucretia could sense that I wanted to say more.

"There's also an invisible man called Skinner. Everyone thinks he's a spy. I haven't seen him in a couple of days, and I'm… nervous."

"Be he the spy?"

"No."

"Who, then?"

"At a guess? Gray. The one who pretty much told you to piss off."

"That fellow, Gray," she mused "what a distastefully ill temperament he possesses." Not that unlike myself then. Maybe that's why I hate him…

"I know. We've argued on more than one occasion."  
She was silent for a long moment, and then she looked at me, knowingly, out of the corner of her eye.

"Let his savagery and thorned words be the master of you, Danny and it will feed your own hate of yourself. Heavens; you have an ocean of that already. Love yourself in greater measure." I never know what to say when she goes on like that.  
We turned a corner and saw the Nautilus and the square it was next to at the end of the street. We came to a stop, and Lucretia let go of my hand, which she had still been hanging onto.

"This is where we part ways. Do you think your misguided misadventure will be soon done?"

"In a week or so."

"I would that then was now, and you were back to stay." She wrapped her arms around me in a rare display of true, deep affection. "Until we meet again, Danny."

"Goodbye." I said as she released me. With a final smile she leapt onto the roof above us.

Bloody show-off…


	12. Chapter 12: Explosions Are Fun

_Authors Note: _YAY! Things will be exploding next chapter (which might be out tomorrow) so look forward to it!

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 12: Silence Is Golden, Explosions Are Fun

July 1899

Day Four in the League

I ran down the street towards the Nautilus, towards the numerous stretchers that were scattered on the path.  
It seemed the bomb had been destructive in more ways than one.  
Jekyll had his sleeves rolled up and was tending to some of Nemo's wounded men. Probably just as well he hadn't gone with the others- his skills as a doctor were needed more than his skills at extreme carnage.  
As I approached, he stood up straight.

"Miss Hollow," he gave me the once over, checking for wounds "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine" I assured him.

"Where's your friend got to?" Lucretia, I assume.

"She went home once we'd done our job."  
He nodded and went back to tending his patients. I suddenly noticed that we were the only two League members there. Where in God's name _were _they?

"Am I the first to come back?"

"I'm afraid so." His face creased with worry.

"I'm sure they're all fine," Even though I'm sure the only one he really cares about it Mina… "Is there anything I can do to help?"  
Jekyll was about to say something when Quatermain came sprinting towards us, bleeding like a mad bastard from his shoulder.

"The Fantom is M! And the hunt is still on."

"What are you talking about?" Jekyll exclaimed.

"The Fantom is M… the very man who recruited us."  
I bet if Catherine had been here, she'd have been able to work that out.

"Let me see that…" Jekyll tried to take a look at the gaping hole in his shoulder, but he shrugged him off. Typical man, pretending he doesn't feel pain.

"Where is everyone?" He demanded, glancing at me. Fine, no hello or well done for not getting killed…

"Dorian's missing in action," Mina's voice said. She strolled towards us, her coat billowing out elegantly behind her. It really wasn't the time, but I couldn't help but notice that her brown hair looked beautifully coppery in this light.

"And Mr. Skinner must have fled when he realized he knew."  
Again, that sinking stomach feeling. What has happened to him??

"And Sawyer?" Quatermain's voice seeped concern.

"He'll live to fight another day." Sawyer swaggered cockily onto the scene, blood trickling down his forehead.  
Mina noticed, and put her fingers to his temple.

"Don't worry," she purred "I've had my fill of throats for this evening." Must… Resist urge… To gag.

"Captain!" An urgent voice pulled us all out of our respective reveries. We rushed to Ishmael, who was dragging himself down the gangplank towards us. Jekyll caught him as he fell, and we all had to lean in to hear him gasp

"It was Gray… not Skinner… Gray's tricked us all."

And with that, he died.  
I can't believe it.  
I was _right._

My entire life, I've always been wrong. Someone has always been smarter or stronger than me, and has crushed me like a bug. Made me feel like shit.  
But no, I had actually been right!  
Everyone else had got it wrong.

Suddenly, there was a horrible grinding sound from somewhere deep within Nemo's ship.

"What is that?" Mina enquired.

"The sound of treachery!" Nemo snarled and ran into his ship. We all followed after him, the gangplanks being pulled up behind us. We had barely re-entered the ship, when we heard a sound coming from outside. Upon looking, we saw that one of the vast pearl decorations on the side of the Nautilus was coming away from the ship.

"What _is _that thing?" Sawyer yelled over the sound of the ship preparing itself to get moving.

"My exploration pod."

It fell with a splash into the canal, great metal spikes sticking out of it. A window opened in the side, and there was Dorian, still as smug as ever.  
I wanted to chop him to pieces and crush his bones to dust. But, all I could do was watch, as he blew Mina a kiss and began to sail away from us.

"Can you track it?" Quatermain asked Nemo.

"I intend to catch it!"

We all ran like the wind through the ship to the board room. When we got there, Nemo pointed at a board with two silver lights skimming across it.

"That is us… that is the Nautiloid. We will be upon them soon."

"Are you alright?" I heard Sawyer ask Mina. Should I be insulted that no man ever shows that sort of concern for me? I've always prided myself on my independence, but Mina is a _vampire_ and he's asking if she's alright. If anyone would be alright, it would be her, right?  
Is it just that nobody gives a damn about me?

"Yes, just a little, shaken." Mina said, trying to sound calm. He looked like he wanted to say more, but then a high pitched wailing cut through the air.

"Nemo?" Quatermain asked.

"It's nothing of mine."

A few moments later, one of his minions came striding in, holding a large envelope.

"Captain, the noise came from this."

"A recording disk?" Nemo pulled a disk from the now silent package.

He went to the head of the table, and called for one of his minions (should probably stop calling them that… might say it out loud be accident one day) to fetch him a gramophone. We waited for a few impatient minutes, but his crew member eventually came carrying the device. He placed it next to Nemo on the table.  
Without even saying thank you, he shooed the man away and put the disk on the thing.

"Ready Professor?" A female voice spoke "Recording…"

"Gentlemen," M said. Twat. "If you're hearing this, then every step leading up to it has gone as planned."

"And I have been true to the goals set to me… yes, it's me Dorian," a low growl escaped me. "As you know by now, I'm no loyal son of the empire. My loyalty to M comes in no small part, from his possession of something I hold very dear to my heart… something I would do _anything _to regain."

"Are you alright?" Mina asked Jekyll. Why is it everyone seems to be asking each other that?

"My ears hurt, it's nothing." He replied.

"Everything so far has been misdirection," M spoke again "Sanderson Reed, the assassinations in Kenya, your recruitment and mission, the secret conference; a myth."

Ok, so I was right that Gray was the spy- but, like the others, I had fallen for this scam in the first place. It hit me just how stupid I- we- had all been to be so easily tricked.

"Even the League itself; there is no League, there never was. It was just a ruse to help bring me closer to my goal."

"He likes the sound of his own voice doesn't he?" Sawyer muttered.

"You see, it's because I want you, each of you, even tired old Quatermain… because he will capture Hyde where others have failed.  
"The question is why; why all this mask and mystery? Because in the war to come, I intend to wield the greatest weapon of all- the power of the League itself."

What?! What the fuck is he talking about?

"To that end, I set my wolf amongst you sheep."

"Growl." Gray added.

"To gain your trust and quietly lead you astray…"

"And all the while I'll collect you," Back to Gray "the parts of you I need; Nemo's science,"

"Magnesium phosphorous…" Mina murmured.

"Skinner's skin sample, Jekyll's potion, Danny's books and Mina's blood."

"That bastard!" I snarled.  
So, my initial suspicion had been right. Again.

"He's stolen us… and we let him." Jekyll said icily.

"If you fail to save Venice, then I get my war. And if you succeed, well, it's a small price to pay for Gray to go about his task… War will come sooner or later, as inevitable as summer into autumn.  
"Now some of you, perhaps Quatermain if he isn't dead, or that precocious little upstart Hollow, will pause to ask why I'm letting you know all this. What fool reveals his stratagem before the game is over?"

Had this man even _met _me? How the hell was I supposed to know? If I had to take a wild stab at it, I'd say this was his monologue- his gloating victory speech before he finished us off.  
But how he planned to do that, I had no clue.

"It is over, for you… because my voice isn't the only sound being made. While I've rambled on, a secondary layer of inaudible sound, higher than humans can hear, audible to only dogs and lower animals, has been heard by crystal sensors dotted about your vessel…"

"Sensors, attached… to bombs." Gray told us.

I resisted the urge to slap my forehead. I should have known that was what he was planning!  
When ever he attacked as the Fantom, he would always blow _something _up. It was just like Lucretia said "Silence is golden, but explosions are fun."

"Bomb-voyage."


	13. Chapter 13: Ouch

_Authors Note: _I'm on fire tongiht! Three chapters! I feel dead, but I think it's worth it. Just the feeling of actually maanging to shift myself and get things done...

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 13: Ouch…

July 1899

Day Four in the League

"Bastard!" I yelled again, as Nemo threw the gramophone to the floor. We all exchanged angry, but scared glances with one another. The bombs were going to explode and there was nothing we could do.  
The explosives went off, and the room shook, throwing us all off of our feet.

The only thing I remember was being thrown quite violently across the room into a particularly hard wall, and everything going dark.  
My next memory is blinding light and warm liquid running down my face.

"Danny?" a soft, but firm voice said. It sounded rather muffled, and I strained to listen.

"Danny?" It called again.

I could feel a soft piece of fabric being pressed to my face, and a hard surface under my back.

I blinked.

I blinked again.

I squinted and tried to see through the horrible white fog that clouded my vision.  
After a minute or two I began to be able to make out shapes- fallen and broken black pieces of furniture. Figures in blue scuttling around the room like some exotic species of crab, trying to right the wrecked room. I looked straight up, where the offending white light was coming from, but it was blocked by a figure. It was Mina Harker. She was knelt at my side, pressing a piece of gauze to my head.  
I tilted my head slightly to the left to try and see a bit more of my surroundings, and felt a lukewarm puddle beneath my cheek.  
It was blood, lots of it.

"Danny?" Mina said softly.

"What happened?" I rasped.

"M planted explosives on the ship," Yes, I remembered that bit "When they were detonated, you took a rather nasty hit to the head." Ah. Didn't remember that bit.

Ouch…

"Lie still until Henry gets here."

"What? Where is he?"

"He went to the engine room… Nemo commanded it be closed because it was filled with water. Henry drank a vial of his formula and drained the room of water, to save the men inside." She was smiling. Perhaps there was hope for the Jekyll/Mina relationship.  
I sat up, to Mina's great surprise. My head spun for a few seconds, but apart from that I felt fine.

"Danny-" Mina tried to push me onto my back.

"I… I think I'm ok. I'm just useless lying here, when you could be helping people worse than me."

She pursed her lips, but helped me to my feet anyway. I swayed slightly but she put her hands on my shoulder to keep me steady. I noticed the other League members were here, helping to organize the destroyed room.

"At least let me bind it for you." Mina insisted, ripping a fresh strip of gauze from the roll she held in her hands. She pressed it to my face, and with her other hand, took two strips of surgical tape and secured it in place.  
I rubbed the bandage absently. Wonder if I'll have a scar like Lucretia…  
Mina knew she wouldn't be able to change my mind, so she went to help the others. I took a few deep breaths, to get rid of the last traces of dizziness. I set to work picking up a few collapsed tables and chairs when Jekyll walked in, wearing fresh clothes and a contented smile.  
Everyone looked up at him, and smiled to show their gratitude. Quatermain gave him the thumbs up.

"Let's not make a saint out of a sinner," Jekyll said modestly, even though he still had that dopey smile. "Next time he may not be so helpful." He lost some of his chirpiness when he asked Quatermain:

"Can we still follow Gray?"

"Well, we were the faster, but now we're the tortoise to his hare."

"So we're done." He said bitterly, helping Quatermain to pick up a chair.

"No," Sawyer cut in "We're alive. If M has any ideas to the contrary, that gives us an edge."

Mina beamed at him. I'd forgotten about the potential Sawyer/Mina relationship.  
I resisted the urge to scowl. I have nothing against Sawyer, it's just that I think she and Jekyll are a much better (not to mention a much cuter) match.  
Although I did remember that after my conversation with Mina a few days ago I had run into Skinner on my way back to my room (Ugh- I was too tired to write it down!). We had talked, and he had mentioned that Mina had said to Sawyer that he was sweet and young, and neither were traits she held in high regard.  
I had laughed and said that must mean she is attracted to old, horrible men and that Quatermain should watch his back. I guess that's why she liked Gray- he was old and horrible.  
And surely if she was attracted to someone as camplessly (not a word; never mind) ruthless and as ruthlessly camp as Gray, she wouldn't be attracted to Sawyer?  
But now that I think about what she said to Sawyer, about not liking sweet or young people… is that why she seems to enjoy _my _company?  
I turn fifty-nine in October after all- that may not be as old as most immortals, but it certainly counts as old.  
And I'm often told by Monique that I become sourer and bitterer every year, which then sparks an argument over how I can be both sour _and _bitter…

I'm over-thinking. My head hurts now.  
I had to lean against a pillar to stop the throbbing in my head. Purple lights danced on the corners of my eyes, and Jekyll approached me.

"Are you alright?" Again, that question that keeps floating around.

"Yes." I rubbed my temples. His eyes narrowed as they stared at the bandage on my forehead.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

"Banged my head when the bombs went off."

"Perhaps I should take you to the infirmary…"

"I'm fine. Sort of. I'll feel better once the ship is up and running and I've had a decent nights sleep."

It suddenly occurred to me.

"What time is it?"

He pulled out the pocket watch he has a habit of fiddling with.

"Quarter past eleven."

"In the morning…" I groaned.

I got up at six in the morning on the day we arrived in Venice, which was yesterday. I had been on my feet and sometimes fighting for my life since then without break… unless of course you count being unconscious. Which I for one _don't_.  
I peeled myself off of the pillar, and put on my brave face to try and convince Jekyll not to be so worried for me.

"I just need sleep. Really."

He still looked rather worried for my health.  
Let him worry; I was too exhausted to care, now that the affects of the head injury as well as the lack of sleep were catching up to me.

Huh. In my earlier entry I was whining because no one was bothering to ask me if I was ok, but now two people had taken the time to try and make sure I was alright, I kept telling them not to make such a fuss over me.  
One of Nemo's crewmen burst in.

"We're getting a signal!"

Who the hell would be sending us a signal? What _for_?

The League hurried after him and I followed, a few weary paces behind.  
We were all standing outside a room- more a cupboard than a room- where one of the crew sat listening to the bleeping of a machine and scribbling down notes.

"Morse code." Quatermain said. Redundantly.

"What does it say?" Mina asked.

"Hello my freaky darlings." The man said, sounding quite confused by the message.

"Skinner?" Sawyer exclaimed.

I felt a bit of the pain in my head ease when I realized just what he was saying.  
Skinner was alive; after a couple of days panicking, it turned out he was fine!

"Hiding on board little fish, with Gray and M…" the man continued the message "East by north-east… follow my lead."


	14. Chapter 14: Whiny Angsting Fool

_Authors Note: _I didn't mean to go on for so long about her past, honestly. But it just kept going and going, so I decided I wouldn't write about the arrival in Mongolia in this chapter. It would have seemed so random, just throwing that in after Danny prattles on about her messed up childhood for an age.

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 14: Whiny, Angsting Fool

August 1899

Day Thirteen in the League

Quite a gap between this entry and the last one.  
That's because the past week has been painfully dull, like the journey to Venice was.  
But, I must write something about the past week, or today's events will make no sense.

Besides, I've missed writing in this thing.

After receiving the message from Skinner, everyone went to the control room to plot where the hell we were supposed to be going, but Jekyll ordered me to go back to my room and rest before I passed out. I didn't argue.  
I collapsed on my bed, not even bothering to take off my clothes and slept for a blissful nine hours. When I woke up, at quarter past eight, I took off Lucretia's filthy clothes and washed all the blood, sweat and dirt off myself.

I was well-rested and clean, and I would have been happy, but I remembered that the ship had been blown up, courtesy of M and his camp sidekick.  
I left my room to find the others (after getting dressed, obviously), but had no success. Went back to my room- I had thought I would try and help to fix the ship, but I soon realized that everyone else had been working like animals during the day to repair it, and so the Nautilus was now as good as new and was sailing to our destination.

I went back to my room and wrote down everything that had happened during our brief stay in Venice and went back to sleep again. Woke up at three, and just lay there until half past eight.  
I dragged myself out of bed, put some clothes on and went up on deck, for lack of anything better to do. I was in luck- the others were already up there. I asked Quatermain where we were going and he told me that Skinner was leading us to Mongolia, the location of M's headquarters.  
That's pretty much everything of any relevance or excitement that happened this week.

Most of the time we've just spent waiting to get to our destination, stuck on the line between suspense and boredom.

Ah, 'tis good to be writing again. I like being able to vent everything I think into something that won't hate me for saying what I actually think.  
I'm sure whoever is reading this (be warned… I _do _mean it when I say by reading this you will die a painful death) probably thinks I don't sound like the type to write a diary.

It all started on my tenth birthday.

Every birthday I'd ever had, as well as every Christmas, I would not get a present from my mother. I would be shut in my room or sent out into the streets and told not to show my face until six in the evening, when dinner was served.  
Anyway, I came downstairs one night and was beyond shocked when my mother shoved into my hands a parcel wrapped in newspaper. Usually, my father and my sister would give me presents, while my mother would sit there and sneer at me.  
I unwrapped the package, and inside was a smart, black leather diary. I wasn't sure what to make of this. I'd never really liked anything academic or anything that involved thinking and I always pissed off the tutors my mother hired to teach me and my sister.

I flicked the thing open, and inside were the initials M.H.  
Mariella Hollow.  
My sister.

The only reason she bought me this, was because she thought I'd hate it and give it to her. When I worked this out, I clung to that diary as if it were my own soul.  
I'd never dream of giving her the satisfaction. I'd write in this book, everyday, no matter how much I didn't want to.

Mariella, the selfish little thing she was (and still is) always loved the fact that our mother paid her all the attention and actually loved her. She was kind and sisterly to me. But she never tried to make our mother be nicer to me.

Dad never tried to change her attitude towards me either- I think she scared him a little. I didn't care about the way she treated me though, because my father made up for it. He treated me like a princess and spoiled me rotten.  
Whenever business (we were a merchant family who lived in Brighton) called him overseas, he would take me with him so I could escape my mother's tyranny.  
It's thanks to him that I can play the piano.

Mother paid for us both to have lessons in literacy, arithmetic, drawing, singing, cooking, and foreign languages, but couldn't quite scrape together enough for lessons in how to play instruments. Dad sold one of my mothers more expensive pieces of jewellery so he could afford to have _me, _and not Mariella, taught how to play the piano.  
I loved him so much than when I found out he had a mistress, I didn't even think to tell Mariella or mother.

I was so comfortable with it, that he actually sent me to her house for tea on several occasions so I wouldn't be stuck with my mother by myself.

He refused for the two of us to be left alone together since he found out that she had been abusing me physically when I was very young.  
I don't really remember that, but I do have a scar on my chest that I don't remember getting, so it could be true for all I know.

Whoa.

Total tangent. I'm such a whiny, angsting fool. What was I saying?

Oh right- it was because of that birthday gift that I got into the habit of writing so religiously in a diary. When I ran out of paper, I would write on the blank pages in my dad's atlases; at one point, I actually got so desperate to write on something that I started writing on the insides of my petticoats and dresses.

It was like so long as I kept writing, I would always have a small victory over my mother.

This, I suppose, is why I keep diary-writing up until this day.

I'm being summoned- I'll write more later.


	15. Chapter 15: The Day Worth Living For

_Authors Note: _Nooo! The clocks have gone forward! I've lost an hour of my precious writing time!! This is a travesty!  
By the way, does anyone recognize where the title of this chapter comes from? You get a cookie if you do…

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 15: Dying Is The Day Worth Living For

August 1899

Day Thirteen in the League

So, we've arrived in Mongolia.  
And it is _freezing_, simply _freezing _I tell you.  
We all had to deck ourselves in several tonnes of clothing to keep from freezing to death, but I doubt it will be enough. I swear I can already feel my fingers hardening.  
Underneath my impossibly thick coat, I'm back in Lucretia's clothes. When I came back to my room last night after dinner they were sitting on my bed, washed, ironed and neatly folded. We all went up on deck, since that was the only part of the ship that could penetrate the thick layers of ice that cover the lakes of Mongolia. We examined the barren icy wasteland before us, and noticed some huts at the base of the mountains.

"Peasant settlements." Mina murmured.

"They're all deserted." Quatermain observed.

"Why deserted?"

Beyond the mountains, the sky began to glow an ominous orange yellow. That was clearly where M's base was located.

"Fear no doubt." Nemo said sombrely.

We, as well as a dozen members of Nemo's crew, all descended down onto the ice and began to trek our way towards the odd coloured patch of sky. We were walking for several hours, weighed down by our coats, snow shoes and ridiculous goggles and I really have no idea how I managed to keep putting one foot in front of the other in such bastard cold weather.  
Passing between two of the mountains, a giant stone fortress hove into view, spewing vast quantities of smoke. At least it would be warm in there.

"M's summer retreat." Sawyer remarked.

"This is where Skinner signalled he'd meet us," Quatermain gestured to a cave in side of the mountain "So we wait."

We trooped inside the cave and even though I had to keep the bulky coat on, it was a relief to take those goddamn goggles off. They make me feel a right prat when I wear them. Quatermain said he'd sit outside and wait for Skinner, and none of us argued with that.  
We pulled off our gloves and settled in- or at least as much as you can settle into a small dark cave when the temperature is about -30.  
Sawyer tried to light a fire, but his fingers were shaking so badly from the cold that he kept dropping the matches. I found it funny to watch him struggle for a few minutes, but I had pity on him in the end- I snapped my fingers to summon a flame and lit it myself. He scowled at me.

"I could have done that myself you know."

"What? You could have created a fireball? Go ahead; I'd like to see you try."

He glared at me and sat on the opposite side of the cave.  
We sat in silence for god only knows how long until we heard odd sounds coming from outside. Mina and Nemo went to investigate, and I had to admit, I admired them for actually managing to leave the now almost-warm cave of their own free will.  
We lapsed back into silence after they had gone, and heard them talking to Quatermain outside. A few minutes later, disembodied footsteps- Skinner- entered the cave followed by the Mina, Nemo and Quatermain.  
Jekyll picked up the spare clothes we had brought for Skinner and handed them to him so he could make himself decent. God, if I can barely stand the cold when I'm wearing three thick layers, how the hell did he cope with being naked?  
Once he'd clothed himself and put on his customary greasepaint, he said:

"With all the suspicion on the ship, I knew you wouldn't believe I wasn't the spy. I thought it was best to disappear."

"Actually," Sawyer spoke up "Danny was convinced you were innocent from the start."

I glared daggers at him as I felt myself blushing. When I looked at Skinner, he was smiling at me.

"Really?" he sounded almost bemused "I'm touched."

"Well, I mean, it was just because I didn't like Gray, and I thought he was kinda suspicious and, um…" I bit my lip.

Couldn't we save this conversation for a time when we _weren't _in the company of _everyone _else?

"So, what are we dealing with?" Quatermain demanded, thankfully directing the conversation away from me.

"The fortress is vast," Skinner said, becoming very serious very quickly "Furnaces produce iron for making M's weapons of destruction… They're pieced together on the factory floor by a private army of ruthless men who share his vision. But the worst was to come… in the dry dock, M's best minds pervert Nemo's vision."

"The Nautilus?" Nemo cried in horror.

"Nautili. There's eight, for now."

"What about the kidnapped scientists?"

"M holds their families hostage. The men work… or the women and children die."

"Monstrous…"

"That isn't the half of it. The scientists are forced to work night and day to make new versions of us. Invisible spies, an army of Hydes, vampiric assassins, as well as potions from Danny's books. M leaves today for Europe with a sample of each to sell to the most eager nation."

"I'll not let my evil infect the world." Jekyll declared. Ah, good old Jekyll, you can always rely on him to have consistently low self-esteem.

"Do you think any of us feel differently?" Mina said.

"Chimney pipes lace the building, and bombs in the furnaces would make quite a bang… but someone needs to blow that place to hell, and I am the least likely to be seen."

"Skinner, I didn't know you were such a bare faced liar." Quatermain snapped. He's probably annoyed because someone thought of a daring plan of action before he did. Skinner glared at him for saying this, and I didn't blame him

"All this time, pretending you weren't a hero?"

"Well, shut up or I'll come to my senses. Besides… any more like me, and I'll lose the franchise."

Sawyer grabbed his gun and stood, but Quatermain stopped him in his tracks before he could do anything stupid.

"No; this can not be a hunt to the death, mores the pity. We must take M alive if his secrets are to be uncovered."

"Not Gray," Mina suddenly snarled "he's lived long enough…"

"Oh I'll handle him." Sawyer said breezily, in an attempt to impress her.

"No." she snapped.

"Nemo," Quatermain turned to the rest of us "You, Hyde and Danny will free the prisoners. Sawyer and I will deal with M."

He grinned.

"So the game is on."


	16. Chapter 16: Mega Ouch

_Authors Note: _Officially the worst chapter ever. I hate this one. I hate it. More of my bad action scene writing, and almost no dialogue. I'm better at dialogue than writing about actions and movements.

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 16: Mega Ouch

August 1899

Day Thirteen in the League

After Jekyll drank some of his formula and Skinner had stripped, they knocked out the guards so Mina, in bat form, could sneak inside and unlock the door for us. We snuck inside and Nemo's men fanned out across the area, checking to make sure the coast was clear.  
I confess to feeling more than a bit scared. When we'd stopped M's attempted destruction in Venice, Lucretia had been at my side. I didn't doubt the Leagues abilities but, well, they're just not her…  
We had taken off our coats and the rest of our snow-voyage gear since, as I had predicted, it was very warm inside the fortress. We stood in the vast stone hall, the floor of which was lightly dusted with snow that fell through the cracks in the ceiling. We all faced each other, wanting to say something, but with no clue of what to say.  
But we were saved from the sorrowful tension as Hyde put his hand into the middle of our little circle. Mina put her hand in first, then Nemo, Sawyer, me, Skinner and finally Quatermain.  
We all looked into each others eyes for a long moment, and then went our separate ways.  
Nemo strode purposefully to the east wing of the building, with Hyde, his men and I following dutifully after him. Skinner had given us directions to the prison, and it seemed easy enough to get to- we just had to try and get there undetected.  
We luckily managed to avoid being seen by the guards, which grew in number as we neared the prison. We turned down a low corridor, which was blocked by two guards. Nemo made quick work of them, punching them both violently in the face without even breaking his stride.

"Release them." he commanded. His men stood over the grate in the floor and broke the locks with their guns.

"Quietly." Nemo added in a reprimanding tone.  
I heard a movement behind us, and looked up to see one of the guards Nemo had taken out getting to his feet, as the prisoners clambered out of the fetid hole they'd been locked in.

"Nemo!" I pointed at the retreating guard.

"Intruders!" the man ran away from us, down the corridor. Nemo chased after him, but it was too late "Intruders!!"

"Bugger bloody bollocks!" I muttered.

"There's nothing we can do about it now," Hyde growled "let's get the scientists."

We ran out of the corridor, followed by some of Nemo's men, but we were met with some of M's armour plated guards. They fired at us, and I closed my eyes, concentrating on forming an air barrier between us. Their bullets, as well as the ones our side had been shooting all froze in mid-air. Everyone stopped shooting and stared in confusion- I waved with my hand and the bullets flew at M's men.  
Unfortunately, even though this did kill a few, the armour was made of stronger stuff. They fired at us again.  
I cursed as I realized that today of all days I had forgot to bring a gun, and had no choice but to cower behind a pillar.

"Nemo, Danny!" Hyde picked up a piece of scrap metal to shield himself "Get the scientists!"

Nemo gestured to his men- the ones who hadn't died- and we followed him down another corridor.

"Is that all you've got?" I heard Hyde roar.

We reached the chamber where the scientists were being held quite quickly, and I felt a jolt of excitement when I saw how heavily guarded this room was. A chance to fight again!

Dodging bullets, I twisted the head of the nearest guard to snap his neck, and then threw his body violently at another guard to knock him off of his feet. On the next, I used a fatal trick Lucretia had taught me. I kicked his collar bone as hard as I could, and was very pleased when I heard a snap and a squelch- his bone had broken and impaled his heart and lungs. I would have been so pissed if that hadn't worked. It would have made me feel like a weak little idiot.  
A guard snuck up on me and grabbed me by the hair, dragging me backwards. He punched me in the kidneys and I winced. I let him hit me a few more times, waiting until his hold on my hair loosened. I jerked my head back without warning, so it hit him in the face, hard.  
Nemo, Hyde and his men had dispatched the other guards, and were now leading the scientists and their families out of the chamber and back to the ship. Once they were all evacuated safely, I made to go after them but I saw another group of guards enter.  
Hyde saw them too, for he let out an unearthly roar and came sprinting back in. Before they could even raise their guns, he ploughed into them and sent them all flying through the air.

"Come on! You want more?!"

Only one of the guards remained conscious. This wouldn't have been a problem, but he spotted a vast beaker of Jekyll's formula on one of the work benches. He grabbed it, and downed it like a man who hadn't had a drop to drink in decades.

"No!" Hyde cried. This, would obviously not end well for Hyde and I.

"Not the whole thing…"

"Shit!" I ran to his side, unsure of what the hell we were supposed to do now.

The man turned an alarming shade of red, and began to smoke, change and grow. Hyde and I took a few steps backwards, towards the door. If we really needed to, we could make a dash for it…  
The man-turned-Hyde was at least twice the size of the original, and twice as ferocious. My odds against Hyde number 2 weren't that good, in all honesty.  
Hyde 2 ignored me, probably thinking a woman didn't count as a viable target, and threw Hyde original through the wall. Hyde original flew about fifty feet threw the air before colliding with a pillar.  
I ran after the two of them, as Hyde original attempted to peel himself off of the floor.

"Nemo," he called "Nemo! Run!"

Ignoring his advice, Nemo came running into the room to come to his assistance. The two Hydes were now wrestling, as I stood and watched. This was ridiculous- I had to do _something_. Not just stand here and be useless.  
Hyde original managed to gain the upper hand, and threw Hyde 2 into a pillar. Panting, Hyde original backed up towards Nemo.

"What is that thing?" he asked in awe.

"It's me on a bad day…"

Hyde 2 got up and was about to charge at Hyde original, but I unglued my feet from the floor and sprinted towards him. With a feral scream, I leapt as high in to the air as I was physically able and spun, kicking him across the jaw with my right leg. He stumbled and hit another pillar, but he recovered very quickly.  
He ran at me and I leapt into the air again, this time kicking out with both legs, and with such force that this time he actually fell. I back flipped and landed smoothly on my feet. I swear, I was channelling Lucretia's energy or something- I've never been able to jump so high or kick so hard before.  
Hyde original took the chance to attack again while he was down, and it did at first seem as if he was doing well, it quickly became obvious that he was in serious trouble.  
I snuck up on Hyde 2 as he repeatedly punched Hyde original in the face. I did another of my epic leaps, and landed on his shoulders. I grabbed his head by the ears and wrenched it back, clawing at his face. He roared and went careering back, trying to shake me off. I clung on, determined not to let go.  
Hyde 2 worked out that no amount of shaking or pulling would get me off, so he pressed his back into a pillar, crushing me between the two.

I heard several loud snaps that echoed inside my ears. I fell to the floor as he ran towards Hyde original again. My entire torso burned in pain. My head was pounding, and darkness seeped into the corners of my eyes, but I blinked hard and slowly struggled to get to my feet. I couldn't pass out. Had to stay awake.

I looked up and saw that Hyde original had been tossed like a doll into the back wall, and Nemo was attacking Hyde 2 with his sword. I stumbled past the two towards the collapsed Hyde, each step an effort worthy of a medal.  
Blood was gushing out of me, I could feel it.  
I leant against the wall next to Hyde original, just moments before Nemo was flung across the room and landed next to us.

"He's too strong," Nemo said as he got to his feet. "We're trapped. And Danny's injured…"

"No," Hyde responded in his gruff voice. He peered through a crack in the pillar we were hiding behind "He's burning through the formula at an accelerated rate."

He turned to us and grinned.

"He'll soon change ba-" Hyde 2's hand broke through the pillar and grabbed Hyde original's head, pulling it back so he smashed into the stone.

"Nemo!"

Nemo stabbed his sword through Hyde 2's hand, and this was enough of a distraction- Hyde original pulled him through the battered pillar and tossed him against the wall.

"Hyde! Danny! Come on!" Nemo had started down the hall, to a gap in a wall that led to the outside. I stood up straight and walked after him, as fast as my weak legs could carry me.

"My formula's done." Hyde moaned as he came stumbling after us. Nemo grabbed his arm and kept him upright and walking as he transformed back into Jekyll. We were nearly at the gap, but Hyde 2 was charging at us again. We slipped through the gap, into an alcove filled with icicles.  
Hyde 2 hit the wall, unable to fit through the gap, but the impact caused the icicles above us to break and fall towards us.

"Watch out!" Jekyll cried.

We pressed ourselves against the walls, and pain shot through me when I touched the stone. I finally forced myself to look down at the damage. My clothes were soaked in blood. It was dripping from me and freezing as it hit the ground. My arms and legs felt a bit bruised and drained of energy, but were otherwise ok.  
My ribs however, were a different matter.  
My skin was blue and black, and like the rest of me covered in blood. A few strips of skin hung in loose flaps where my ribs had pierced through it. They were sticking out haphazardly, and I felt my stomach churn at the sight of them.

Mega ouch.

I forced myself to look up and focus on the matter at hand. Live now, get patched up later.  
Hyde 2 reached up and snapped a huge icicle from the ceiling and held it high above our heads, preparing to bring it down and kill us in one stroke.  
I closed my eyes and waited for the pain to end.  
But, we had the greatest stroke of luck.  
The bombs Skinner had planted went off.

Hyde 2 dropped the icicle as the building rattled, crumbled and shook and the wall we were pressed against split down the middle. We squeezed out through the gap as the building behind us collapsed.

We ran out into the snow as dust billowed around us in clouds. Part of me was glad we had survived, glad that we had foiled M's plan. But the bigger part of me was royally pissed that I had been unable to defeat that thing. I'd dealt some pretty good blows, but he'd done worse to me than I had to him, and if it hadn't been for that convenient explosion, we'd have been killed.  
I keeled over, unable to keep going anymore. Jekyll- who was shirtless, poor bastard- and Nemo ran to me, and hooked each of my arms over their shoulders.

"Danny," Jekyll said sternly "I need you to stay awake, alright?"

I said nothing as they half-carried half-dragged me back to the main entrance. We'd agreed we would meet here- if it hadn't been destroyed- once we had completed our tasks. While it was certainly more fragmented than it had been before, it was still standing.  
They brought me inside, where the other League members were waiting. Well, all except Quatermain and Sawyer.

I didn't care what Jekyll had said- I was far too tired to stay awake. My eyelids drooped as I heard Mina exclaim

"Oh my goodness! What happened to her?"

I heard some rustling of fabric and I was laid down gently on Mina's coat.

"Danny," Jekyll said again. He pinched me very hard and I yelped "I told you to stay awake." I glared at him.

"We need to get them both back to the infirmary, immediately!" Nemo sounded frantic.

We? What we?  
I turned my head to my right and saw that Skinner had also been laid on the floor. From what I could see, he had been very and I mean _very _badly burned.  
Oh well, at least I wasn't the only one who'd screwed up.

"Where's Tom?" Mina asked.

"I'm here." His voice said from somewhere to my left. I tried to raise my head to see him. I caught a glimpse of him, carrying something in his arms, but I had used up all my energy. Sorry Jekyll.

I closed my eyes and let the darkness swallow me.


	17. Chapter 17: Congrats On Surviving

_Authors Note:_ Ah, only one more chapter to go. This has been fun, but I admit I'm glad it's almost over. Writing is somewhat exhausting, especially since I write in the small hours of the morning, when I'm supposed to be sleeping.  
Anyhow, just thought I'd mention that this was the penultimate chapter. Carry on reading.

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 17: Congrats On Surviving

August 1899

Day Fourteen in the League

I opened my eyes and wasn't surprised when I saw blinding white light.  
I blinked several times, trying to adjust the brightness.

There were muffled voices very close to me.  
I pulled my head off of the soft pillow- I noted that I was in my own room, in my own bed- and sat up straight.

Big, big mistake.

I howled and fell backwards. It felt like my ribs had been yanked out and replaced with huge, pointy knives. Ow, ow, ow. Pain unbounded.

"If it hurts, it means its healing." I heard Jekyll say. I raised my head and saw Jekyll standing at the foot of my bed, a ghost of a smile on his lips. Mina was standing next to him, her eyes glazed with concern.  
Was it just me, or were they standing quite close together?

"Did me and my pain interrupt something?"

They glanced at each other, blushing at exactly the same time.

"I merely wished to see how you were." Mina lied. I smiled to myself. Romance was in the air, even if they couldn't admit it to themselves.

"I'll leave you to your work." Mina said to Jekyll. He nodded and smiled at her as she left the room. He turned to me, his expression becoming more serious.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like death warmed up."

"Really?" He moved closer to the head of the bed.

"Not really, I'm just exaggerating. Thanks to you, I'm fine. A little sore, but I'll live."

"You screamed like a banshee just now."

"I sat up too quickly," I shrugged "besides, my wounds are nothing compared to Skinners."

"That's true. The poor fellow will be bedridden for several weeks."

"What about me? Am I 'bedridden'?"

"You did yourself quite a bit of damage. All but one of your ribs was broken- you were very lucky that you were unconscious while I set them. You're injuries are… probably not so severe that you cannot leave your bed, but I don't think you should leave this room for a few days. Do you promise to stay put?"

I nodded, but I crossed my fingers under the covers. If I wanted to leave, leave I would. Besides, it would probably help the healing process if I got fresh air and exercise.

"What about Quatermain? Knowing him, he probably came back in pieces."

Jekyll's face contorted. Uh-oh… I didn't like where this was headed.

"Danny, Quatermain, he's… he is…"

"Dead." I finished.

"I'm afraid so."

I didn't say anything. I didn't really know _what_ to say. It felt strange, knowing that our unofficial leader was dead.

"He died a noble death." Jekyll said softly.

"Of course he did. I expected nothing less."

"His death wasn't in vain. Gray and M both perished."

I allowed myself a small smile. At least M and my camp nemesis were gone.

"Well," I said as brightly as I could, pushing myself up on my elbows "no need to stay and worry over me. You probably have other patients who need you more than I do."

"I'll be back in a few hours, alright?"

I nodded, and he left, closing the door gently behind him.  
Part of me wanted to get up and move around, stretch my legs a bit, but my ribs were still aching and I felt a little tired, even though I estimated I had been asleep for about thirty hours.  
This whole thing must have taken a lot out of me.  
I lay back down and closed my eyes. I would have slept, but my feet touched something cold and made of glass.  
I sat up- very, very slowly, and pulled back the covers.

There was a bottle of scotch at the foot of my bed. I picked it up, and read the note that was tied around its neck:

_Congrats on surviving._

Skinner, bedridden. Yeah right.  
I unscrewed it and sipped some of the warm amber liquid. The pain in my torso lessened as warmth spread through me. I put the bottle under my bed- Jekyll would disapprove, and I didn't want to get Skinner in trouble- and lay back down on the soft mattress.

I closed my eyes and was dead to the world.


	18. Chapter 18: See You Around

_Authors Note: _Ugh, I had to re-post chapters fourteen, fifteen and sixteen after I realized I'd written September instead of August… I am _so_ amazing.  
Last chapter. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story, I hope you enjoyed it.

Read This Diary And Die A Painful Death

Chapter 18: See You Around

October 1899

Day Eighty-Six in the League

It's been two months since the battle against M, and I have some good news and some bad news.  
Good news- The world is pretty much recovered now the Phantom is gone, and tomorrow is my birthday (not exactly international news, but never mind).  
Bad news- Today is Quatermains funeral.

Thanks to Jekyll being a damn good doctor, and me throwing in a dash of magic, Skinner and I are both good as new- at least physically.  
We all miss Quatermain, and I know that letting him rest in peace, in the soil of his beloved Africa will hit Sawyer particularly hard.

Anyway, onto the funeral.  
We approached the grave, which was surrounded by villagers who had come to pay their respects to their dead friend. We formed a small cluster around the grave, staring at the white cross that bore his name.

"Do you remember he swore Africa wouldn't let him die?" Skinner said sadly from beside me "I wish the old boy had been right…"

"So what's next?" Sawyer demanded, not going in for any of the wishy-washy sentimental stuff.

"I have long since hidden away from the world- now I wish to see it anew as the century turns;" Nemo extended his arms "You're all welcome to join me."

Join them?  
I'm trying to mourn at a funeral, and he dumps that weight on my shoulders? He doesn't realize just how much thought needs to be put into that decision.  
How can I just waltz off back home after all we've been through?  
But at the same time, how can I not go back to Lucretia and the others? I've already been away from them for long enough already. I only intended to be away for a fortnight at most, and it's been almost three months.  
I feel obligated to go, and obligated to stay.  
How the hell can I be expected to choose?!

"We've all been hiding in one sense or another." Mina said softly.

"The Nautilus awaits."

Right now? You want me to make my decision this second?

"So who's coming?" Sawyer asked.

Nemo stood at the foot of the grave, pressed his palms together and bowed. He turned from the grave and walked off through the long grass.

"So long old chap." Skinner said, following Nemo.

"Goodbye Allan." Jekyll said, also going after Nemo.

I could feel a ball of panic twisting in my throat.  
Okay, let me think- go back home, live life as I did before. Go with League-… a bit of a question mark over the whole topic.  
I'd joined the League because I wanted to recapture the adventure of my old life, before I got fired, yes?  
I'd get just that if I stayed with them… I think.

"Goodbye, Allan." Mina said after a long moment of silence. She followed the others, so only Sawyer and I were left by the grave. He glanced up at me- I knew he wanted me to go, so he could say goodbye privately.

Ah, to hell with it.  
I'm sure Lu and my other friends will be able to survive without me for a while longer. I bet they'd make the same decision, if they were me.

"See you around." I nodded to the grave, and followed the rest of the League. I strolled past Mina, catching up with Nemo, Jekyll and Skinner.  
I grinned at them, and they gave me odd looks. I must seem a little insensitive, coming away from a funeral and smiling like a nun with concussion, but I didn't mind. Start of a brave, exciting new chapter in my life.  
I was filled with an exuberance I hadn't felt in a long, long time.

"Thanks." I heard Sawyer say as he cocked his gun and placed it gently on the grave.  
He left the graveside and walked by Mina. Our League wasn't completely complete (that sounds ridiculous… completely complete) but it was enough.  
I let out a dreamy little sigh and suppressed the urge to jump for joy and hug the others.  
Might do that when we reach the Nautilus, but for now I don't want to terrify them by being so contentedly hyperactive.

Dark clouds began to spread across the sky.  
Any other day, I might have seen that as an omen, but today I was glad of a bit of rain to ease the goddamned heat.

I linked arms with Skinner and Jekyll, still smiling.  
I think I might have been infectious because they smiled as well.

Rain started to fall from the sky, though this was not just ordinary rain. This was a full blown storm.

And that was how the whole League vs. M saga ended, with us striding away across the sandy plains of Africa, rain soaking us to the bone, thunder rippling through the air and lightning dancing around us.


End file.
